After winning his carom billiard match against his first opponent in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Efren “Bata” Reyes still expressed his discontent in his performance.
In an interview with GMA News, Reyes said that he already lost his magic touch because of his old age.
“Hindi ko na maitaas. Wala na yung magic ko ngayon. Hindi na ko pwede mag-mase, hindi na ako pwede mag-kaliwa, masakit na. Kaya yung mga dating tinitira ko na may magic, wala na. Hindi na gagana,” said Reyes.
“Ibig sabihin dapat yung laban na ‘yun sandali lang ‘yun. Yung 100. Mga ilang tirahan lang. Ngayon, ang dami naming tira bago namin matapos yung 100,” he added.
Reyes said that he would try his best to defeat his next opponent on Friday despite his condition.
“Pipilitin kong talunin, pero magaling yun. Baka mamaya sumama din yung tira ‘nun, baka gumanda yung tira ko, bumalik yung tira ko, talunin ko siya,” Reyes said.
According to Reyes, his next opponent is also a world champion like him, and if he continues doing the same shots as he did in his first match, there’s a possibility that he may face difficulties in winning.
“’Yung susunod kong kalaban, world champion. Ako naman ang mahihirapan. Kung ang titirahin ko ganyan sa susunod, walang kabuhay-buhay. Kailangan, mas maganda pa doon,” the legendary billiard player said.
“Hindi na ako kakabahan pero ang makakalaban ko, kung dati ako pinakamagaling, etong kalaban ko ang pinakamagaling, ako ang bago,” he added.
Reyes who’s already 65 years old is planning to undergo therapy after the SEA Games.
In the past interviews, he revealed that he’s already having problems with his right shoulder.