Alex Eala shares a six-word message from her 13-year-old grandfather that she didn’t understand “until now.”
Alex Eala shared a touching moment from when she was 13 and about to move to Spain to start her tennis journey. Just before she left, her grandfather sent her a short but meaningful message: “Alex, you have to be coachable.”
This year has been amazing for Alex. She’s climbed into the top 20 of the WTA rankings and won her first WTA title at the Washington Open. At 21, the Filipina star also played on Wimbledon’s Centre Court, beating the defending champion Iga Swiatek in the third round, and earned a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Nagoya.
Alex started tennis at age four, coached by her grandfather Roberto Maniego. She later trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, and even Rafael Nadal himself wrote a special piece for her when she was included in TIME100’s Next List last month.
Before heading to Spain, Alex’s grandfather gave her a piece of advice that has stuck with her ever since. Even though he passed away in 2019, his words helped shape her mindset. She explained on the ‘Pretty Tough’ podcast with Maria Sharapova how important it was to be open-minded and trust her coaches.
Growing up, her family valued respect deeply, so questioning adults wasn’t common. But moving to Spain helped her find her own voice and build a true partnership with her coaches. This trust and openness have been key to her strong foundation and success.
Despite a tough training routine, Alex says she had a happy childhood supported by a loving family, which gave her a great balance.
One of the coolest things about Alex’s rise is the huge support she gets from fans. Her matches often sell out, and when she won the Washington Open by beating Jessica Pegula, she made history as the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA title. She’s also the highest-ranked player from her country in both men’s and women’s tennis.
To show how popular she is, a highlight video of her ‘Stars of the Open’ match against her friend Iva Jovic before the 2026 US Open got 3.1 million views on YouTube. That number was only just beaten by the women’s singles final highlights, which had 3.2 million views. It’s clear Alex is becoming a huge star!