Serving Passion: Fred Pardillo’s Tennis Journey from the Philippines to Minnesota
Fred Pardillo and his daughter, Therese, after winning a tournament in St. Anthony.
From crafting makeshift racquets out of plywood to winning competitions worldwide, Fred Pardillo is passionate about tennis. While still competing, Fred stays busy helping coach his daughter and niece, and teaching others the game in the community.
How’d you first get into tennis?
Before I started playing tennis, I was a ball boy first in the early 90s, in one of the biggest mining companies in the Philippines. At that time, the tennis racquet was so expensive that we made our own tennis racquet from plywood — it was bigger than the ping pong racquet. One of the sons of the resident manager who came from Texas and was a Division I varsity player saw us playing tennis using the wooden racquet and promised to send us Dunlop wooden racquets at that time.
After that I played age group and inter-school tournaments. At the age of 16 and 18, I became the National Champion in our country. When I was in college, I was played at one of the universities in the Philippines and I also taught tennis back in the Philippines before we migrated to Minnesota in 2006. I still teach tennis in Minnesota and I’m also a member of Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) before COVID. I used to play with USTA tournaments throughout the Twin Cities and occasionally, I play pickleball with my tennis buddies.
Are you still competing? What do you enjoy most about tennis?
In July, I won the Mascarin Collision Mid Canada Open Over 50 Men’s Doubles in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada with my cousin, Rene. This month, I won with my daughter, Therese in the St. Anthony Doubles Tournament A Fight Champions. Currently, I’m busy training my daughter and her cousin, Rhoanne, who are both varsity in their respective schools.
I enjoy tennis mostly for competition and teaching kids and adults.
Fred and his cousin Rene after their big win in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
What’s your go-to brand or gear?
Head for tennis racquet and Asics for the shoes cause it’s more comfortable to use.
What keeps you coming back to Michael Lynne’s Tennis Shop?
I’ve shopped at Michael Lynne’s for a long time for tennis gear. They have low prices compared to other tennis shops and have the latest models. Aside from the price, Mike Lynne and Anne are very hospitable each time we shop in their store, they are always easy to approach. I usually recommend this shop to my family and friends from Canada and other states. I think it’s a good thing that we buy from local shops instead of online and I will continue to recommend my tennis buddies to purchase their gear at Michael Lynne’s
