SHE may have settled for a semifinals finish in Roland Garros French Open run, but Alex Eala surely has a bright future ahead.
The 15-year-old Eala was the youngest seed among the final eight in the Girls' Singles division, before her stint was cut short by France's Elsa Jacquemot in their matchup last Friday night (Manila time).
Still, the young ace showed a gallant finish, even making history as the first ever Filipina to have graced the semifinals stage of a Slam tournament.
This morning, Eala spoke about her journey, guesting on uncle Noli Eala's "Power and Play" show at Radyo Singko 92.3 via Facebook Live.
The Filipina showed maturity in handling the situation, and looked at the loss from a better perspective.
"Your mentality is really what differentiates you from your opponents. In a tournament like this, skill levels are very much the same. It's a matter of who can sustain more," the Rafa Nadal Academy scholar said.
She also revealed that she's not letting it affect her morale, since her journey is far from over.
"I just focus on the next match, and keep moving forward because it's not done yet, and the goal is to win," she said.
Before ending the interview, Alex shared some thoughts about what it's like to represent the Philippine in international sports.
" I would like for the country to be respected in the sports industry. 'Cause in some specific sports, you hear [that] if you're playing someone from the Philippines, [then] it's easier," she said. "And second, I hope what I'm doing now with my platform inspires the young kids 'cause I know we have a lot of potential."
Spin fans unite at the Spin Viber Community! Join the growing community now and complete the experience by subscribing to the Spin Chatbot.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph