Hard work, determination key Eala improvement

Alex Eala stressed that her hard work and determination are now paying off, helping her to come up with impressive finishes in the international arena.

Speaking before an exclusive event organized by Globe on Friday, the 20-year-old Filipina tennis sensation said that her fitness and renewed mindset are doing wonders, helping her deliver a strong performance in high-level tournaments, including Grand Slam events.

Eala is coming off a fruitful campaign on grass. She made it to the finals of the Eastbourne Open before making an early exit in the Wimbledon, where she gained solid experiences playing against the best tennis players in the world.

“I am fitter now and I’m able to last longer on the court. That’s why I was able to go up against the top players,” said Eala, who is at No. 56 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association ranking.

“So, everything, even the little adjustments, clicked.”

Aside from her physical improvement, Eala’s mental toughness is also impressive. In fact, her coaches have been reminding her not to get too affected by the results by her performance in high-level events.

She credited her semifinal run in the Miami Open as the turning point of her pro career as she was able to stand her ground against the likes of Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, Madison Keys of the United States, and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek of Poland.

“I think, especially this year, one big realization I had, I was talking to one of my coaches and it was crazy how things changed before and after Miami (Open). How many doors opened up and of course, all this attention and everything,” said Eala, who advanced to the Last Four of the Miami Open before losing to Jessica Pegula of the United States.

“It’s crazy because we were saying like, everything that I’m doing is still the same. Like, our routines are still the same, the people surrounding me are still the same, you know, my tight circle.”

But the road to glory is far from over.

Eala still has a long way to go as she competes in the US Open that will be held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows from 24 August to 7 September.

Prior to that, she will go to Canada for the Canadian Open from 26 July to 7 August at the IGA Stadium in Montreal and the Cincinnati Open from 7 to 18 August at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio before flying to Mexico for the Monterrey Open from 18 to 23 August at the Club Sonoma in Monterrey, Mexico.

Eala said she is still far from done as she seeks her first Grand Slam main draw win in her professional career.

“There’s still a lot for me to achieve. I think there are a lot of big tournaments lined up not just the US Open so I hope to play well there and of course try to get my first Grand Slam main draw win and then after that I’ll be returning to Asia so playing here will be nice,” Eala said, vowing to give her all to make the Filipinos proud.