After a historic campaign in the prestigious Wimbledon Championships, Alex Eala is back for a much-needed breather in Manila before kicking off her North American swing next month.

The 21-year-old Eala was greeted by an adoring and grateful nation upon her landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Sunday afternoon, formally marking her first appearance in the country since making history by becoming the first Filipino in the Open era to advance to the Round of 16 of a Grand Slam event last week.

No less than Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio, Philippine Lawn Tennis Association (Philta) president John Rey Tiangco and Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino picked her up at the airport before walking into the crowd with local performing arts group Banda Kawayan providing folk music that she surely missed during her long and grueling international campaign.

Eala even signed tennis balls from young athletes from Navotas City, who waited for a couple of hours just to see the toast of Philippine sports make a grand homecoming.

The last time Eala was in the country was last January after making a quarterfinal exit in the WTA 125 Philippine Women’s Open at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.

After that, she embarked on a grueling Women’s Tennis Association campaign that saw her competing in the Abu Dhabi Open, Indian Wells, Miami Open and French Open until opening her very fruitful grass-court season that saw her winning the title in the Birmingham Open, semifinals in the Berlin Open and Round of 16 in the Queen’s Club Championship and Wimbledon.

Philta executive director Tonette Mendoza stressed that there’s really nothing definite on Eala’s schedule in Manila other than to reconnect and express her gratitude to her legion of fans.

“She wants to see her fans. Not everyone has the chance to watch her play live so it’s a good thing that she will have this big homecoming event on Wednesday so that her fans can finally meet her,” said Mendoza, who is set to return to the Philippines on Tuesday after watching Eala in the Wimbledon.

“Alex is very accommodating. A lot of people waited for her at the airport but she still took the time to greet them and show how grateful she is for their support.”

Mendoza added that Eala’s schedule in Manila is quite light. In fact, her training is taking a backseat as she wants to spend her time in the country with her family, friends and, yes, the Filipino fans who prayed and cheered for her, especially when she went against world No. 3 Iga Swiatek in the Round of 32 of the Wimbledon.

“I don’t think she’ll train heavily here. If anything, she’ll just go to the gym and maintain her conditioning,” Mendoza, a personal friend of Eala’s parents, Mike and Rizza, added.

“She really needs to recover because she has a very busy schedule ahead.”

Eala stressed that being with the Filipinos is her main priority at this point. In a previous interview, she stressed that she is glad to share her tennis journey with the Filipinos around the world, who never get tired of watching her, giving her the reputation as the most popular player in the professional circuit.

“Well, my personal goals have always been my priority, right? This is my journey. I’m happy to be able to share it with everyone who wants to take part,” Eala said.

“But I think one of the biggest things that makes it natural and easier to handle is that it’s genuine. So my whole story is very genuine. It’s very close to my heart.”

Eala will buckle down to work after her brief stop in Manila.

She will start her North American hard-court campaign at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington from 25 July to 2 August before heading to Toronto to compete in the Canadian Open, a WTA 1000 event, from 1 to 13 August.

With Eala set to reach a new career-high ranking of No. 28, she is poised not only to be seeded but also to earn a first-round bye in both events.

If she stays within the top 32, she could get the same privilege at the Cincinnati Open in Ohio, which runs from 13 to 23 August.

All of these competitions are part of Eala’s preparation for the US Open, which will run from 23 August to 13 September and the 20th Asian Games in Japan that is set on 19 September to 4 October.