Alex of the Philippines

They say that you tend to do something crazy when you’re in love.

Well, that’s exactly what happened to Alex Eala when she decided to suit up in the 20th Asian Games instead of competing in the WTA 1000 China Open.

Obviously, joining the China Open makes a lot of sense.

Aside from getting a slice in the mouthwatering $9.4 million total prize pool, competing in the China Open will give Alex the ranking points that will boost her chances for the WTA Finals — the season-ending championship featuring the top eight players in the world.

The China Open is so crucial that all of the elite players in Asia like world No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, Naomi Osaka of Japan, and Zheng Qinwen of China have all confirmed their participation, something that could have given Alex a chance to further test her skills against quality competition.

On the contrary, the Asian Games do not offer much. In fact, the guaranteed purse that awaits Alex should she secure the gold medal in Nagoya is just P2 million — mere peanuts compared to what the China Open dangles.

But more than that, joining the Asian Games puts Alex in a very risky situation of getting slapped with a hefty $10,000 fine on top of what the WTA branded as the “52-week zero-pointer” penalty. In short, instead of getting a boost in ranking, Alex will take a hit as she will not gain any ranking point from the China Open. Ouch!

The Philippine Lawn Tennis Association had already reached out to the WTA to seek a special exemption for Alex, but it has yet to come up with a final ruling.

It’s a high-stakes gamble reminiscent of ancient literary epics — except that instead of kingdoms crumbling, her professional career is on the line.

She’s like the lovesick Helen who walked away from a lavish life with her husband, Menelaus, the king of Sparta, so she could be with Paris forever. Her decision had an ugly consequence as the Spartans attacked Troy that led to one of the greatest tragedies in human history.

So, why did Alex choose the Asian Games? Love for her country.

Let’s face it: the Filipinos are facing an uphill climb in the Asian Games. Our top bet from the previous edition in Hangzhou in Gilas Pilipinas has bombed out in embarrassing fashion while there’s no assurance if our golden boy, Ernest John Obiena, can still retain his gold medal in pole vault event given the drastic improvement of Asian athletes.

Sure, we have gymnastics sensation Carlos Yulo, the double Olympic gold medalist in Paris two years ago. But his chances to dominate are also in peril as the Japanese enjoy a huge advantage in a sport where judges usually favor the home bets.

With Alex on board, the Filipinos have a fighting chance. Remember: the road to the gold medal is wide open as all of the best players in Asia are busy competing in the China Open. It means that Alex, who is obviously on a different level based on how she performed in her North American campaign, has an attractive chance of making history as the first Filipino to win a singles title in the Asian Games since Johnny Jose did the trick in 1962 in Jakarta.

More than that, she will get an opportunity to give back to countless Filipinos, who have been throwing away their hard-earned money for flights, accommodation, meals and tickets just to pack arenas around the world to cheer for her in the WTA circuit.

In short, by choosing to compete in the Asian Games, Alex is walking away from ranking points, money, fame and all the good things that the China Open can offer for the opportunity to bring glory to her country in a tournament that is being held only once every four years.

Her bold decision of competing in the Asian Games whatever it takes should inspire our athletes — especially the professional players — to always put the country first no matter what the consequences will be. Yes, it’s going to be hard, but everything will be easy for as long as there’s love in their hearts and passion in what they do.

When Helen arrived in Troy, Paris’ father, King Priam, welcomed her before asking: Are you Helen of Sparta?

Paris was quick to answer: No, she is Helen of Troy. Then, Helen looked at Paris, flashing a lovely smile.

That’s love. And that’s exactly what Alex felt when she made the very difficult decision of defying the WTA for the sake of Filipinos who are counting on her.