Alex Eala opens up about the mental toll of being on Tour and what she is learning

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Alex Eala has “warmed up” to constantly playing at the biggest WTA tournaments, the latest of which is the Miami Open.

Eala now plays against Karolina Muchova in the Miami Open round of 16, having beaten Laura Siegemund and Magda Linette.

She truly introduced herself to tennis at the 2025 edition of the WTA 1000 event, where Eala beat three former Grand Slam champions en route to the semifinals.

The 20-year-old has now discussed the normality of playing regularly at big events, which recently included an Indian Wells debut.

Alexandra Eala will finish 2026 ranked — in the world

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Alex Eala ‘getting used to’ playing at big events regularly

After beating Linette at the Miami Open, Eala was asked on Tennis Channel if it is starting to feel more normal playing at big events all the time.

She said: “It does take a little getting used to. I’ve warmed up to it for sure. Of course, the facilities are amazing at these events. We’re treated really well.

“But the biggest thing I’ve had to adjust to is, of course, the level of players. Every match is a very high level of competition.

“So you don’t really have room to let your guard down and it’s very demanding, but I’m happy that I’m able to play some good tennis and see progress in my game.”

At the 2025 Miami Open alone, Eala beat Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko, while this season she boasts wins over high-profile names like Coco Gauff and Jasmine Paolini.

Alex Eala learning how to handle mental pressure

Of course, constantly playing against the top players at the top tournaments is not only physically demanding but also mentally demanding.

Discussing the latter, Eala said of her efforts: “It’s definitely taken a toll mentally, but that’s also part of the process of becoming a better player and a more mature person, is knowing how to handle that.

“And I think one of the things I’ve been learning to do is kind of switch off the tennis mode, you know, fill my cup outside the tennis. So I think that really helps, yeah.”

It’s a fantastic approach from the 20-year-old, who is only going to continue playing on the biggest stages if she continues to adopt such an attitude alongside her efforts on the court.

However, her popularity has sometimes meant that appearances have been out of her control, with Eala handed many wildcards as tournament organizers look to benefit from her huge fanbase.

The Filipina superstar has been busy in 2026 so far, having already surpassed 20 matches, while she has already surpassed the 300 figure for her promising career.

And she has been helped regularly by her huge following, with Filipino fans continuously turning up in huge numbers to support their number one player.

Along with regular WTA 1000 events, the world number 29 has now competed at all four Grand Slams following her appearance at this year’s Australian Open.