Alex drools over Rafa partnership
ALEX Eala is expected to get a rock-star treatment when she opens her US Open women’s singles event campaign at the Louis Armstrong Stadium on Wednesday (Manila time).
Photograph courtesy of USTA
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ALEX Eala is expected to get a rock-star treatment when she opens her US Open women’s singles event campaign at the Louis Armstrong Stadium on Wednesday (Manila time).
Photograph courtesy of USTA
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If only Alex Eala will have her way, she will choose the legendary Rafael Nadal as her dream mixed doubles partner.
In an interview with Vogue magazine, the 21-year-old Filipino tennis star revealed that teaming up with the 22-time Grand Slam champion would be a dream come true, especially with Nadal’s academy playing a major role in shaping her career.
“Rafa Nadal is my dream doubles partner. If I had played with him at any point in my lifetime, I’d have to move my feet like I’ve never moved my feet before,” said Eala, who made the Rafael Nadal Academy her stomping grounds after leaving the Philippines at age 12 with her brother Miko.
“It’ll force me to produce some of the best tennis I’ve ever played in my life.”
Eala got a taste of that experience when she trained with Nadal in Spain last year, an opportunity she described as a special moment given her long association with the academy.
“It was so special for me. Obviously, training with Rafa is something that people and young kids can only dream about, so it was such a pleasure to share the court with him,” Eala said.
Nadal’s influence on Eala goes beyond that training session, with his academy serving as the foundation of her development from a promising junior into a world-class professional.
Even his uncle, Toni Nadal, has remained involved in Eala’s journey and was even present at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to monitor her progress during the US Open.
Her coach, Joan Bosch, also came through the Nadal Academy, giving Eala a familiar voice in her corner as she continued to refine the fundamentals that helped shape her game.
Eala is currently facing world No. 46 Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine in the women’s singles event Round of 64 at the Louis Armstrong Stadium as of press time.
A deep run in New York would give Eala another opportunity to showcase the lessons she learned during her years at the Nadal Academy — and perhaps bring her one step closer to fulfilling another dream: sharing the doubles court with her childhood idol.
