Alexandra Eala reveals how she has dealt with fame after her stunning tennis breakthrough
Alexandra Eala has insisted she will not allow her rising profile to affect her tennis development, as she revealed who the key people have been in her story so far.
In an exclusive interview with Tennis365 at the LTA’s Lexus Birmingham Open tournament that marks the start of the grass court season in England, the 20-year-old from the Philippines told us about her story so far and what she hopes comes next.
Eala beat Australian Open champion Madison Keys and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in a Miami Open run in March that propelled her into the top 100 of the WTA Rankings for the first time in her career.
Eala then contested another tight three-set match against Swiatek on the clay courts of Madrid, but she admits there is a long way for her to go before she is ready to challenge the game’s top players consistently.
Eala reflects on her breakthrough moment in Miami with fond memories, but she insists it did not change her focus on what needs to come next.
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Sponsors and media have been clamouring to work with one of the rising stars of the women’s game, in a story that some observers have compared to that of Emma Raducanu after her 2021 US Open win, yet Eala insists she will not allow the hype around her to distract from what she needs to do to reach the top.
“I think I have done a good job and my team have done a good job of dealing with everything that happened after Miami,” said Eala, speaking exclusively to Tennis365.
“So many things changed and my perspective has changed since Miami, but my day-to-day life is the same. I have the same work ethic and the same attention to detail.
“What happened in Miami was definitely a big surprise for me. It’s difficult because I try not to look at it as a big picture thing, as that tournament progressed.
“I didn’t even look at the draw. I just went match by match because you don’t know how far you are going to get and every round there was another big obstacle.
“For sure, it gave me a lot of confidence to know that my level is there to play against the top players, but I know there is a lot more for me to do before i can be there consistently.”
Eala went on to suggest her family are the most important people in her life and they keep her grounded as the tennis spotlight falls on her once again at Wimbledon this summer.
“I am lucky that my family played such a big role in my career and they have been so important for me so far,” she told us.
“They built the structure for me. They built the path I walked on. That was the start I needed to start my career.
“For me, family is such a crucial part of who I am and from where I come from, we are so family-oriented.”
Now Eala is relishing the chance to return to grass courts in an English summer that will include her debut in the main draw at Wimbledon.
“I’m always excited to go back on grass. It’s a very unique experience,” she added. “I haven’t played enough on it to form a solid opinion on the surface, but I definitely enjoy it.
“We do not have many grass courts in the Philippines. I probably only played on grass when I was hitting the ball around in a back yard!”
Eala has confirmed she can shine on grass courts after her impressive run to the latter stages of the Eastbourne Open and now she will be hoping to make her mark on the biggest stage of them all at Wimbledon.
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