IF you ever catch Alex Eala trying a sport other than tennis, don’t expect a highlight reel.
In fact, she’ll be the first to tell you—it’s probably not going to be pretty.
“I’m really bad at other sports,” she says, laughing in the latest WTA upload early Saturday morning. “Any other sport that isn’t tennis, I’m pretty bad at. I’m so focused on this tennis thing that other sports or hobbies have proven difficult for me.”
The 19-year-old is unapologetically all-in on tennis, and doesn’t feel the need to do everything.
Back home, her influence clearly reaches beyond the baseline that even Alex is seeing it firsthand.
“I’m really happy with the attention that tennis is getting right now in Manila,” she shared. “I see many people, especially on Instagram, picking up rackets, making videos.”
READ: Alex Eala flies to Rome with Italian Open up next before Roland Garros
More than just climbing the rankings or winning matches in a year-round tennis calendar, Alex is proud to be building something bigger—a movement for fellow Filipinos who never thought tennis was within reach.
“I’m so grateful that what I’ve done, hopefully, has played a part in that,” she added. “And I love to see how tennis can grow into a big sport in the Philippines.”
Over the past two months, Eala has made historic strides for Philippine tennis—becoming the first Filipino to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal and defeating top players like Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys, and Jelena Ostapenko.
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