Alexandra Eala’s rise to prominence is one of the most meteoric in recent memory.
After all, she has gone from a humble graduate of the Rafael Nadal Academy to one of tennis’ biggest and brightest stars, selling out stadiums wherever she goes.
Her talent, combined with the unconditional support of the Filipino community, has created a fanbase that is breathing new life into the sport.
Alexandra Eala has opened up completely new markets, and is deservedly getting her flowers for engineering this revolution.
However, there are unsurprisingly obvious drawbacks to being so popular.
Alexandra Eala explains how her life has changed in the last year
Speaking on the Australian Open’s podcast, The Sit-Down, Eala revealed exactly how her life has changed over the last year or so.
She admitted: “I haven’t been home a lot [recently], unfortunately. The times I have been home, I have felt so loved though. Things have changed, to say the least!
“I try to avoid going out alone now, but then again, it’s blessings and just gratitude.”
However, Eala is obviously relishing the opportunity she has forged for herself, as a proud Filipina who is forging a bright pathway for the next generation of tennis talent.
Asked how it feels to represent her country, whilst stars like Janice Tjen, Joao Fonseca and Zeynep Sönmez are all doing the same for Indonesia, Brazil and Turkey respectively, Eala added: “It’s so nice to know that I am doing what I can for the sport, because tennis has given me so much.
“So all I can do to give back to tennis I will do to the best that I can.
“It’s so nice to see in example my region South East Asia, there are four women in the main draw from there alone, me, Janice, Mai and Lana. So it’s such a great time for women’s sport in our region and women’s tennis. I am so happy to be a part of that.”
There is much hope for a bright future laden with elite trophies.
Eala has been told exactly what she must do to win a Grand Slam title in the future, but putting those fixes into action is easier said than done.
What Novak Djokovic said about Alex Eala and her fans
Eala’s popularity was well-documented before the Australian Open, but the way in which she shut down the event in her first-round match was unprecedented.
Placing her on Court 6, which has a capacity of under 1,500, fans flooded outside, queuing for the opportunity to catch a glimpse of her. Hundreds were seemingly turned away at the entrances to this arena.
Speaking during the tournament, as he made his way into the final of the men’s event, Novak Djokovic had nothing but positive things to say about Eala’s influence.
He claimed: “She’s been the biggest ever tennis player from that country, which is a big country, and there’s a big interest. So things like that happen.
“You could argue that it was maybe a poor schedule and maybe they could schedule her on a bigger court.
“Again, it’s a good problem to have, to be honest. Let’s just imagine if there’s a lack of people coming or if the stands are empty, that’s a bigger problem. I mean, this is great.”