Alex Eala explains surprise Toni Nadal appearance during stunning Miami Open win

Oli Dickson Jefford 27 Mar 2025 4:41 PM

Alex Eala and Toni Nadal.

Alex Eala stunned the tennis world with a shock 6-2, 7-5 win over world No 2 Iga Swiatek at the Miami Open on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old’s win over the five-time Grand Slam champion has attracted attention from across the sporting world, though the match has also attracted headlines for other reasons.

Many were surprised to see that legendary tennis coach Toni Nadal – the man who helped mastermind nephew Rafael’s legendary career – was in Eala’s box during her career-best victory.

However, there is a simple explanation as to why he was cheering on the world No 140 during the match.

Academy mastermind

‘Uncle Toni’ stopped coaching his nephew in 2017 and, while he spent three years working on and off with Felix Auger Aliassime, has spent most of his time since back in Mallorca.

That was largely due to the launch of the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2016, with the Spaniard choosing to focus most of his attention on working with the sport’s brightest talents.

It was here that he first met Eala.

The Filipina, born in May 2005, was just 12 years old when she moved to Manacor to train at the academy under the guidance of Toni, who is the academy’s director.

The Rafa Nadal Academy has over 40 tennis courts and a range of other sporting facilities, alongside an international school, where Eala studied during her time in Mallorca.

Eala graduated from the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2023, with Swiatek among the special guests invited to attend the event.

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The most notable graduate from the academy so far is former ATP world No 2 Casper Ruud, though Eala may be one of the biggest success stories since the Norwegian’s rise.

Other notable talents to have developed under ‘Uncle Toni’s’ guidance include rising Spanish prodigy Martin Landaluce and current world No 56 Jaume Munar.

Support during breakout run

Nadal was among those supporting Nadal during Eala’s incredible win over Swiatek, which came after wins against Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys earlier in the tournament.

However, he was not the only person who flew in to support Eala.

Speaking after the match, the world No 140 revealed that several family members had also arrived in time to watch her beat the reigning French Open champion.

“A lot of my family did fly in,” said Eala. “So my parents flew in last night, and my uncle and my cousin from Seattle also flew in.

“So a lot of extra motivation for my match today. I really wanted to have them see me winning, but I know they’d be happy just to see me compete in this setting.

“And Toni also came in to Miami, although he had to catch a flight I think today. That did mean a lot, because I have been working closely with him for so long, alongside my main coaches from the academy.”

Eala returns to action on Thursday night with a semi-final against world No 4 Jessica Pegula.