ALEX Eala’s rise has been told by many storytellers, but this time it's one of the greatest tennis players ever doing the talking.
Rafael Nadal wrote Eala’s profile for TIME100 Next, with the Filipina tennis star named among TIME’s 100 most influential rising stars of 2026.
And there may not be a more fitting person to tell her story.
Nadal’s connection with Eala goes back to when the Filipina moved to Spain at 13 to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca.
READ: Alex Eala has no regrets in skipping WTA tour for Asian Games
Years later, Nadal found himself writing about the player who had grown from a promising junior at his academy into a world No. 18 and one of the fastest-rising stars on the WTA Tour.
Nadal also revealed a more personal connection in his TIME profile.
“Alexandra Eala was the first player I shared a tennis court with after my retirement,” Nadal started.
Eala had asked the 22-time Grand Slam champion if he wanted to hit with her, giving Nadal his first chance to pick up a racket again after stepping away from professional tennis.
Now, Nadal is watching Eala’s own career take off.
The 21-year-old broke into the WTA Top 20 this year after winning her maiden WTA 500 title in Washington.
For Nadal, however, Eala’s rise is not only about the results.
“One of her greatest strengths is precisely her ability to listen, learn, and keep improving,” he continued.
He also praised Eala for remaining “warm, approachable, and humble” despite the attention that has followed her breakthrough.
“It isn’t easy to handle becoming a true phenomenon at such a young age, and she deserves a lot of credit for keeping her feet on the ground,” Nadal wrote.
From training at the Rafa Nadal Academy as a scholar to being written about by Nadal himself, Eala’s latest recognition adds another chapter to a relationship that started when she was still a teenager chasing a tennis dream in Mallorca.
This time, the story is being told on the pages of TIME.
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