Alex Eala turned 21 on Saturday without revealing what her birthday wish was.
But it is safe to say it could be winning the French Open.
Eala, ranked No. 38, will be entering the second Grand Slam of the Year as an underdog as she takes on No. 17 Iva Jovic of the United States in the Round of 128 on Monday.
All eyes will be on Eala after a huge crowd came to the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris to watch her train ahead of her second French Open stint.
On paper, the Rafael Nadal Academy looks outclassed against her friend Jovic, especially after her early exits in the clay competitions.
Eala’s best run so far in a clay tournament this year was at the Italian Open, a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 500 tournament in Rome where she made it as far as the Round of 32 before losing to No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
Her recent stint in the Strasbourg Open in France was a different story as she lost 6-3, 5-7, 3-6 to world No. 66 Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine in the Last 32.
Still, Eala believes she has been slowly learning her way in the clay courts.