As if winning your first professional tennis title wasn’t enough, how about receiving a personal message from a 20-time Grand Slam champion, too?
Well that’s exactly what happened for WTA Future Star Alexandra Eala, who not only won her debut ITF tournament in Mallorca last month, but also received a congratulatory post from World No.2 Rafael Nadal on Instagram, garnering 100,000 likes in the process.
Eala, from the Philippines and who has a WTA ranking of No.947, is no stranger to the ATP superstar though – she has spent the past three years training at Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain.
Nadal commented: “Congratulations for this important moment in your career. We are all very happy for you! Keep up the good work and attitude.”
The 15-year-old always seemed destined for success following her two appearances in 2016 and 2017 at the WTA Futures Stars event in Singapore, which is played in conjunction and in the same arena as the prestigious WTA Finals. Her qualification for the WTA Future Stars competition in 2016 when she was just 12 years old made her one of the tournament’s youngest ever competitors, and one of it’s most decorated. She won the Li Na Inspiration Award that year for showing outstanding spirit, positivity and sportsmanship both on and off the court.
Speaking to itftennis.com, she said of her title victory: “It was amazing, I couldn’t believe it. This is obviously a really big milestone for me and I’m just happy I am able to share it with all my friends and my family.
“I woke up and my friend had texted me that Rafa posted [about] me on his Instagram. I was freaking out. I was not calm! He was one of my all-time idols, even before I was at the Academy I looked up to him so much. It’s an honour.”
In addition to her WTA Future Stars success and recent ITF title, other accomplishments for the talented youngster include winning the girls’ doubles title at the Australian Open and reaching the semifinals of the girls’ singles at Roland Garros, both in 2020.
“I’m really, really proud to be representing women’s sports in the Philippines,” she continued. “Ever since I was young I think that the Philippines has been looked down upon and underrated and in team events, everyone would be praying to get us. I really want that to change and I feel we have huge potential. If I can be a part of that in any way I think that’d be great.
“For the next year, I really hope to focus more on my professional career, on women’s [circuit] tournaments, and just get as far as I can. I take it step-by-step, I’m still very new to the women’s tour and don’t really know what to expect from there, but I think that’s part of the journey – that it never stops surprising you.”
Eala is one of 15 players who are part of ITF’s Junior Grant Programme in 2021, which offers up to $25,000 to assist with the costs of transitioning to the professional game.
