Alex Eala has received a hero’s welcome in the Philippines following her fantastic run at Wimbledon.
Eala deserves huge praise for her latest visit to the All England Club in London, where she reached the round of 16.
It represents her best-ever Grand Slam result, during which the 21-year-old Filipina knocked out defending champion Iga Swiatek.
Eala has climbed four places to 28th in the WTA rankings thanks to her efforts, for which she has now been celebrated in her home country.
Alexandra Eala will finish 2026 ranked — in the world
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Alex Eala doesn’t think tennis players are right to be labelled self-centred
As per Dyan Castillejo, Eala has spoken in detail to various interested parties after her impressive run at SW19 in London.
One topic involved common misconceptions about tennis players, of which she said: “Maybe a misconception that’s popping into my head… I’ve heard, I don’t know if this is true, people say that tennis players can be self-centred.
“I don’t think that’s true.
“And if someone is self-centred I don’t think it’s because they are a tennis player.
“I think maybe they’re just being self-centred because that’s who they are.
“It’s true that in tennis, to a certain point, when it comes to competition you have to put yourself first, and you have to think of yourself.”
As ever, Eala spoke really well on the matter, giving an honest and mature take that should please her fellow professionals.
Alex Eala has learned how to control her emotions
After a very successful grass-court spell, where Eala also clinched a second WTA 125 title in Birmingham, her focus now turns to hard courts.
It will be another important stage of the youngster’s learning process, and one that she will enter full of confidence after climbing to her career-high rank.
Sharing what she’s learned about herself since embarking upon her professional journey, she said: “I think it’s a continuous process of learning things, professional tennis.
“My journey in professional tennis has already been so long, but it’s only getting started.
“And I think that one thing I’ve learned about myself is how to control my emotions and how I can dictate my emotions rather than let my emotions dictate me.
“So it’s a way of handling myself better.”
Handling emotions is key for any player and indeed any athlete, with some certainly able to do it better than others.
And it’s an area in which Eala has impressed, which could have been difficult given the huge pressure on her shoulders as a Filipina player.
| Top rank by year | Year-end ranking | |
| 28 | 2026 | – |
| 50 | 2025 | 50 |
| 143 | 2024 | 158 |
| 189 | 2023 | 205 |
| 214 | 2022 | 219 |
| 505 | 2021 | 529 |
| 1180 | 2020 | – |
She’s dealt with that pressure expertly, but may now be looking to use her current momentum to win a maiden WTA title.
The upcoming hard-court events will build up to the US Open, where Eala reached the second round on her debut in 2025.
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