Rising tennis star Alex Eala takes us through her life, career and dreams

When the athlete first dreamt her dream of becoming a professional tennis player, she set her mind on achieving it. At age 13, a determined and hopeful Eala moved to the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain. She graduated from the academy in 2023, training for six years to become a full-time professional tennis player. Choosing to be independent at such a young age can be challenging, but Eala pushed through with adamance. 

“I never would have thought that at 13, I’d be moving out. But overall, I think it helped me become more professional and gain independence. It just brought a whole different level to my game. I don’t know where I would be without going there. It was such a huge turning point in my life, and I’m just super grateful because I was a scholar there for four years—just like an actual school but for tennis,” Eala recalls.

With two coaches on her court–Sandro Viaene and Joan Bosch–the athlete’s hard work finally paid off in 2018 when she competed and won as a wild card player at the Les Petits As-Le Mondial Lacoste in France.

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A year after her triumph, Eala joined the International Tennis Federation World (ITFW) Junior Tennis competition to represent the Philippines, ending the country’s 26-year hiatus. Her win proves that if you put your mind to your dreams and goals in life, you can achieve them by taking the necessary steps—even if it means putting yourself into the game as early as possible.

The tennis player debuted for the junior Grand Slam at the 2019 US Open and finished with a No 9 ranking. She was also granted the 2019 Milo Junior Athlete of the Year award the same year.

With Eala’s back-to-back tournaments all in a year, she ends 2019 on a high note as she reigns champion alongside her doubles partner, Evialina Laskevich of Belarus, at the Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships in Florida.

The tennis player won her first Grand Slam title with doubles partner Priska Madelyn Nugroho of Indonesia at the 2020 Australian Open the following year. This win is the first for the Philippines at the Junior Grand Slam since 2009. From her No 9 ranking, Eala rose to No 4 in the junior world rankings.

However, the pandemic halted the athlete’s growing career. However, her inability to compete did not stop her from training rigorously at the Rafa Nadal Academy, a testament to her dedication to the sport and diligence as an up-and-coming tennis player.

After months of waiting, Eala returned to the global stage for the 2020 French Open Juniors, reaching only the semifinal round. Her play still brought her to the No 2 junior world ranking despite her loss.

In 2021, the Filipino athlete made history again when she won the 2021 French Open girls’ doubles championship with partner Oksana Selekhmeteva of Russia. The year after was no different, as she reached another milestone for the Philippines by becoming the first Filipino to win a singles championship at the 2022 US Open Juniors.

Come 2023, Eala debuted in the Australian Open and was given wildcards for the Miami and Madrid Open tournaments. She then entered the world ranking at No 191. The tennis ace also won two bronze medals at the Asian Games, one in the women’s singles category and one in the mixed doubles alongside Philippine team veteran Francis Alcantara. 

Finally, this year was another step toward one of Eala’s goals in her career—to join the Wimbledon Championships. She reached the qualifying rounds but eventually succumbed to New Zealand’s Lulu Sun in the final qualifying match. Nonetheless, the Filipino player was joyous to have competed at the world’s oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament. She knows for a fact that there will always be a next time.

Eala does not take hard work and dedication lightly. For her, tennis is similar to how employed people see their occupation—a full-time commitment. She’s been giving her all to the racquet sport since she was a child, and one can only imagine how far the athlete can go as she continues to establish her name in the tennis world.

“I train five hours daily, not including recovery, nutrition or sleep. It’s a big commitment, but I’m living my dream at the end [of the day]. When you see a professional tennis player from the Philippines, it feels so out of reach because there’s essentially nobody in the tournaments that’s Filipino,” she shares.

She spends two hours each day working out at the gym, and routines play a massive part in her sessions. Eala has grown to understand that living her dream means pushing herself mentally and physically. Before stepping onto the court, she usually spends an hour on warm-up exercises. She also mentioned the importance of stretching and going to a physical therapist, which takes an hour or two.

By now, you should be able to tell that Eala is not your typical athlete. She may be young, but her knowledge of the game is far beyond her years in training and competing. The Filipino athlete knows her priorities and sets routines for herself to avoid injury while ensuring that she’s making the most out of each training session.

Eala also emphasised the importance of agility—in her case, adjusting her practice based on how it goes daily. During off-seasons, her training gets more intense to build her strength, while during game season, her physical exercise is more relaxed. This strategy allows her to prepare herself before each match mentally.

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Mental strength is just as important as bodily strength. Fortunately, the tennis ace started early in her journey, and playing against high-level tennis players helped hone her tough mentality. Fatigue and errors during matches still get to her, but not enough to throw her off her game. She constantly plays a mind game with herself, keeping up with her routines and always convincing herself that the tiredness she feels now will make her a better athlete in the future.

Eala’s routines are not only for her training but also for her tournaments. She shares how a routine helps calm her nerves before a match. “It’s inevitable to be nervous. It’s normal, and I think it’s even good to be a little nervous before the match. In the end, when the match starts to flow and you’re in the moment, focused, you’ll just let go. You won’t think about the bigger picture; you’ll think about the next point.”

It can make one wonder, “How can a 19-year-old athlete handle a constant mind game with herself without losing focus before a match?” That’s Eala demonstrating what it’s like to be young but somehow like a much older and much more experienced athlete.

For Eala, every big or small competition is significant because each one is played for the homeland she proudly represents. However, despite her grit and determination, the young athlete still has days when she feels down and overwhelmed. After all, she’s still a teenager who started such a grand sports career at a very young age.

“I set yearly goals and even goals for the next few months, but I don’t like to set goals for each tournament because I don’t think that’s healthy. I mean, it’s there internally as there are things that I want to see myself do and ways I want to perform, but I think there needs to be a healthy balance between determination and forgiving yourself for not being able to reach certain goals,” Eala shares.

The tennis player has many opportunities ahead of her. She could choose to do something else or enter any other sport. But from four years old until today, she has chosen tennis—along with the physical, emotional and mental stresses it brings. 

Eala has had an astounding number of wins in her career so far, and she’s also experienced her fair share of losses. And yet, her competitive edge and desire to keep going remain strong. “I think I quickly shot up to high ranks in the juniors. That was the start of my career, and then I transitioned to the professional level. There are so many things I needed to learn, and I needed to keep my feet on the ground,” she says. “Of course, there are a lot of other players who shoot up to their careers super quickly, but in the end, I had to learn that everyone has their journey. Everyone will have their time if they keep working hard,” the Filipino athlete continues.

Off the court, she still has that young and quirky personality. Eala enjoys sharing her life and thoughts on social media, particularly Instagram. If she’s not training or competing, she’s most likely on the next flight to Japan or at home choosing her next watch on Netflix. Nevertheless, the athlete is still like every other Gen Z who knows how to have fun; she also happens to bring pride to and represent the country in several competitions worldwide.

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As she continues her tennis journey, she feels blessed for not having experienced any significant challenges. “There have been slumps, like losing five matches in a row, but so far, I’ve been able to pull myself out of them. I think surrounding yourself with people who believe in you and having them motivate you will help pull you out of that certain mindset, that slump.”

Apart from being surrounded by people who support and encourage her, Eala also greatly appreciates her Filipino supporters, who are just as dedicated as she is. She says, “It’s a huge privilege to have all these fans and receive all this love. I’m proud to do this for my country, carrying the flag beside my name in every tournament.”

Eala recently concluded her debut at the Billie Jean King Cup in Spain, leading the Philippine team alongside Marian Capadocia. The team swept back-to-back wins in the Asia Oceania Group III, which promoted them to Group II in next year’s tournament. Joining the competition was already a significant milestone for Eala, but winning all their games as a team is the cherry on top.

But before bidding 2024 goodbye, Eala took some time to look back and reflect on some of the things that she’s grateful for this year—she achieved her biggest title yet, ITFW 100, and broke into the top 150 in the world. She competed at all four Grand Slams and travelled to many countries.

There’s no stopping the tennis player as she has more tournaments lined up, like the Australian Open in Melbourne in 2025, for which the athlete admits to having high hopes.

For Eala, tennis is not just something she loves; it has become her way of life. Much like all athletes who bring pride to their countries through crafts and sports, she encourages her fellow athletes to keep going and continue choosing what they love doing. But at the same time, she hopes that athletes also give themselves time when things aren’t going how they want them to. Playing sports should be fun, not just severe and pressuring.

While Eala firmly believes that hard work doesn’t guarantee success, she assures her fellow athletes that it’s okay—not to mention normal—not to achieve your desired results despite giving your all to the sport. What matters is that you allow yourself time to take it all in. “At the end of the day, I’m just passionate about it. I spend so many hours on the court. I enjoy what the sport does for me, how it keeps me on my toes, allows me to be flexible and helps me maintain discipline. There are so many factors in tennis—like travelling the world and meeting new people. It’s all part of the game, and those things make me love tennis,” she concludes.

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