Niño Alcantara, the ‘kuya’ of Philippine tennis, still enjoys the grind

Three days after becoming a father, Francis Casey “Niño” Alcantara had to leave his newborn son behind. 

His wife, Meanne, gave birth on a Tuesday, and by Friday, Alcantara was already leaving for the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

Though his wife approved of the trip, leaving was still difficult.

“I didn’t want to leave the baby,” Alcantara said, “But at the same time, I wanted to go play in the Asian Games.”

Yet, fatherhood ignited a fresh spark within him.

“I was playing for him every match,” Alcantara said. “It was all dedicated to my baby and my wife.”

In Japan, his mixed-doubles run with Shaira Hope Rivera ultimately ended in the round of 16. Despite winning no medal, representing the country meant everything to him.

“It feels different playing for the flag,” the 34-year-old Alcantara said. 

As the only veteran male athlete alongside four women in the Philippine tennis delegation, he also naturally embraced the role of a kuya (big brother).

“I am the kuya/bodyguard,” he said, laughing.

Long before the international rankings, the grueling travel schedules, and the responsibilities of fatherhood, Alcantara’s young life revolved around a wide variety of sports. 

He was only four or five years old when he first picked up a tennis racket in Cagayan de Oro, but basketball, badminton, table tennis, and billiards were also among the regular sports he played.

“I was very athletic so I played most sports,” he said.

Alcantara even earned basketball MVP honors and maintained school honors from first to fifth grade. His father, however, saw a different path forward — seeing tennis as his son’s ultimate ticket to securing scholarships in Manila.

Tragedy struck when his father passed away when Alcantara was just in elementary.

“It was tough at first,” he recalled. “Like you know, not having a dad from 10 years old.”

Yet, the blueprint his father left behind kept him moving forward.

“I think overall if he was still alive, he’ll be very happy and proud of us,” he said.

By his early teens, Alcantara left regular schooling behind for homeschooling through Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan so he could train full-time in Manila. 

“I really had to sacrifice time, family, and friends,” he said. “So, that’s what I did. And yeah, I think it really paid off.”

From junior glory to professional grind

Those sacrifices bore historic fruit in 2009 when Alcantara captured the Australian Open junior boys’ doubles title alongside Taiwanese partner Hsieh Cheng-peng, with his mother proudly watching from the stands.

“Uy, first Filipino ka pala na nanalo and all (Hey, so you’re the first Filipino to win and all that),” Alcantara recalled people telling him. “It was a special moment. I didn’t know it was that big at first.”

The historic Grand Slam triumph skyrocketed him to No. 14 in the world junior rankings and opened the doors to numerous US college scholarship offers.

“Instead of begging the coaches, I had to pick a school na lang kung saan ako pupunta (I just had to pick a school to go to),” shared Alcantara, who went on to see action in the US NCAA, playing for Fresno State University (2011-2012) before transferring to Pepperdine University (2012-2014).

However, transitioning to the professional circuit in 2016 proved to be an entirely different beast.

“Tennis is super tough,” he said. “And it’s very hard to transition from juniors to pros.”

Alcantara had to grind through low-level tournaments just to qualify for bigger brackets. Yet, over a decade of relentless effort, he kept pushing — learning from every victory and setback alike.

Whether battling on the pro circuit or proudly representing the Philippines in international play — where he has won a mixed doubles bronze in the 2022 Asian Games and all medal colors in six Southeast Asian Games editions — his passion never wavered.

“I’m still here. I’m still grinding, I’m still ready to compete,” he said.

The final sets

Now a veteran of the sport, Alcantara estimates he has two or three years left in his competitive career, depending on how his body holds up. 

Retirement, when it eventually comes, will mean less traveling and more time to consider what comes next.

For now, he is taking a well-deserved five- to six-week break to enjoy fatherhood before gearing up for a heavy 2027 schedule of 25 to 30 tournament weeks.

While leaving his newborn son again may be difficult, it gave Alcantara a new perspective on why he continues to compete.

“The fire and the love of the game is still there,” said Alcantara. “It’s still the same.” – Rappler.com 

Jade Tan is a Rappler intern studying AB Journalism at University of Santo Tomas, Manila.