International pickleball athlete Gabe Tardio touched down at 2XU Opus Mall on 19 September, giving Filipino players and fans a rare chance to meet an athlete performing at the very top of the sport. The exclusive meet-and-greet brought together 2XU Philippines and Facolos Philippines in a performance-led collaboration built specifically to connect the local pickleball community with international-calibre talent, while marking the sport’s growing momentum in the country.
Tardio’s visit was made possible by Supreme Legacy Sports–Facolos Philippines, with Source Masters, Inc., 2XU’s Brand House Partner in the Philippines, supporting the initiative and helping deliver the experience directly to the local performance community.
The Signed 10
At the heart of the activation sat a genuinely limited offering: The Signed 10. Ten paddles, ten signatures, ten exclusive experiences. Only ten guests walked away with a Facolos Elite X 2.0 paddle personally signed by Tardio, paired with a curated 2XU Performance Kit that included 2XU Compression Arm Sleeves and a 2XU Performance Cap. Those same ten guests also received priority meet-and-greet access and an official photo opportunity with Tardio himself—a package built around something increasingly rare in sport: genuine proximity to the athlete, rather than simply a product with their name attached.
Where Global Performance Met Local Community
For 2XU Philippines, the collaboration drew a natural line between the brand’s performance heritage and a sport built on speed, agility, endurance, repeated movement, and recovery. It formed part of a broader push by 2XU Philippines to deepen its relationships with athletes, coaches, and communities across performance sports, carrying its Human Performance philosophy beyond the product itself and into a lived, real-world experience.
The 19 September activation turned 2XU Opus into exactly that kind of meeting point—a space where athletes, enthusiasts, and fans connected through the sport itself while discovering the apparel and equipment built to support their own performance.
Edric Dy, Vice President of Source Masters, Inc., lent the initiative a personal dimension of his own. As a performance pickleball athlete himself, Dy brought a genuine connection to the community the collaboration aimed to serve, reflecting a shared commitment among the partner brands to create meaningful opportunities for Filipino players, linking the local scene with international athletes, performance brands, and experiences designed to inspire the sport’s next generation.
From the Mall to the Court
The Tardio experience didn’t end at the meet-and-greet. Between 16 and 20 September, customers who purchased any two 2XU products in a single transaction at 2XU Opus Mall received a complimentary pass to Tardio’s clinic and game at TELA Pickleball on 21 September, while allocated passes lasted. The offer created a clear path from store to court, giving a wider slice of the Philippine pickleball community the chance to experience international-level performance firsthand—proof of the idea running through the entire collaboration: performance isn’t only something you watch. It’s something you experience.
Tardio’s visit landed at a moment when pickleball continues building a genuinely passionate community of competitive and recreational players across the Philippines. By bringing an international athlete within reach of Filipino fans, Supreme Legacy Sports–Facolos Philippines, 2XU, and Source Masters, Inc. contributed to that momentum through an experience built around athletes, brands, and communities sharing a common passion for performance.
