NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) — A family from National City has spent decades making history in the tennis world — and it all started with a grandmother's dream in the Philippines.
Gina Lupian is one of 9 siblings in the Redondo family, who were raised in San Diego's South Bay by their parents, their grandmother Mamita, and extended family. The family relocated to California because of the Navy, eventually settling in the South Bay.
The story of the Redondos in tennis begins with Mamita, who was inspired by what she saw on the big screen.
"She would go to the movies, and she would watch a tennis player by the name of Helen Wills Moody, and she fell in love with the game," Lupian said.
That love became a mission for the entire family.
"She said there were two things that were going to do — her children and her grandchildren — we were going to play the piano. Some of us did. And then the other was to play tennis," Lupian said.
With their father frequently deployed and Mamita as the only driver in the household, the family found ways to make it work.
"My grandmother was the only driver. Mom never drove. And Dad was always deployed," Lupian said.
Mamita was determined to turn her dream into reality, getting all of her grandkids to practice whenever and wherever they could.
"Some of us would be just across the street from Kimball Park," Lupian said.
"There was a plywood board, and my grandmother would have her just hitting one after another until it was time for us to be picked up," Lupian said.
Collecting cans for tennis balls
Playing tennis was not cheap. Balls, rackets, and shoes added up quickly for a family of 9. But Mamita found ways to cover the costs.
"She would collect cans, and those cans went to the purchase of tennis balls. A lot of our rackets were secondhand. Many of the members at Balboa Park would give us rackets to use," Lupian said.
Through the financial challenges, Lupian says Mamita never lost sight of the values most important to the family — service to the community.
"She always gave herself to everybody that she encountered," Lupian said.
"And stories that I heard. Oh, your grandmother she always gave me her last meal, or she would do this, or she'd give me a dollar for that if I needed it out of her pocket. Never complaining, ever asking where it's going," Lupian said.
Making history in professional tennis
The Redondos quickly made a name for themselves in the tennis community, which at the time had little Filipino representation. Gina's sister, Marita, and brother, Walter, stepped into the spotlight as they entered the professional tennis world.
Walter became a leading player on the junior circuit, ranking at the top of the country. Marita competed in the U.S. Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon, reaching a ranking of 5th in the U.S. and 9th in the world.
Despite that success, the family says it all comes back to the lessons Mamita taught them. Great-grandson Ryan Redondo, the CEO of the Barnes Tennis Center, says those lessons are a core part of the family's legacy.
"It's very humbling. It's really never about how good they were, even though my aunt Marita was top 10 in the world, played the grand slams. She's a superstar. It always comes back to how they treated people and who they were, so I feel lucky," Redondo said.
Giving back through youth tennis
Today, the family continues to serve the community through nonprofits like Youth Tennis San Diego, which brings tennis to students in underserved neighborhoods. Redondo hopes their story will inspire others.
"Not just for tennis but for all sports and for all youth and kids that ultimately represent what my family did and give that access and that experience and opportunity to others," Redondo said.
The family will be featured in an upcoming documentary.
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