Take it easy, Alex: Spanish coach wants Eala to relax, unwind
Alex Eala deserves to put tennis aside and enjoy some time off after a demanding season on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour, according to her coach, Joan Bosch.
Bosch, a Spanish mentor at the Rafael Nadal Academy, said the long matches and physical demands of the campaign had taken their toll on the 21-year-old Filipina, who started the WTA season at world No. 51 but finished at a career-high No. 15.
Eala is expected to return to the country in November following a fruitful campaign highlighted by her Washington Open triumph last August.
For now, however, Bosch wants his ward to make the most of her break and enjoy life away from competition.
“The matches were super long. You know, also one day during the week, she already had some feelings, but nothing big. The other girl played amazing tennis. I mean, congrats to her,” Bosch said.
“She deserves to be happy and enjoy these weeks… go on vacations, eat as a normal person, have some ice cream, go to the cinema. Now is the moment to do it.”
Eala will be able to spend the holidays with his family on home soil for the first time in recent years following her busy schedule in the WTA.
The 51-year-old Bosch was pleased with Eala’s remarkable progress after she climbed to her best ranking on top of some key victories and impressive finishes on the tour.
“We wanted to be better than last year, I always tell you. But from 50 to 15 is a big step by rank and by level. So, we are super happy,” Bosch said.
“She improved physically… Also, she improved the serve a lot. I know people always says it’s the one that she can improve the most, but she improved a lot.”
Eala is also scheduled to face world No. 60 Janice Tjen of Indonesia in an exhibition match on 8 December at the Philippine Arena.
With her not leaving the top 32 of the WTA ranking anytime soon, she will have a good seeding in tournaments like the Auckland Classic in New Zealand in January.
Eala will also have the luxury of not facing any higher-ranked opponents at the start of the Australian Open in January, giving her enough time to rest and be in form.
Bosch also defended Eala following her 3-6, 0-6 loss to Claire Liu of the United States in the Hong Kong Tennis Open final last week, saying her opponent simply played better on the day.
“It’s true that today we could not do it. The other girl played very well. We had many chances in the second set, but I think she played very well,” Bosch said.
Eala said her general plans for her vacation is just to make up for lost time with her relatives in the country.
“I’m going to spend time with my family. Just lay low, disappear for a little bit… yeah, those are my plans,” Eala said.