Alex Eala looked back on the sacrifices she made after moving to Spain at 13 to study and train in tennis.
Alex trained under the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain for five years.
"I missed my family. I spent a lot of time away from my family. I missed my homeland, it was a different culture, it was different everything when I moved. I did sacrifice a lot of my free time, or I guess the time that normal kids would have with friends," she recalled in an interview with Karen Davila in her latest YouTube vlog.
Alex acknowledged that she missed out on many experiences commonly associated with being a teenager. However, she said she would still choose the journey and opportunities that tennis gave her.
"I didn't go to [prom]. Never ako nagka-prom date. But I would definitely choose the experiences I had as a kid or as a teenager over, I guess, what people would consider a normal experience," she said.
When asked how difficult it was for her parents to be away from her, Alex recognized the sacrifices they also made to support her career.
"I know they've sacrificed a lot and it shows in the efforts they give me and the love they have. And it makes me so filled with joy when I see how proud they are when I am playing on center court or just when even when I am doing the small things, they tell me they're proud, so I am really lucky," she remarked.
Alex was also asked how she and her family navigate the victories and defeats that come with her career.
"[After a win], we are all just so excited, especially the big ones, and even when they are not there, I call them. They are the first people I call and it's a really good scene," she said.
When it comes to losing a match, Alex said each defeat affects her differently but ultimately teaches her how to recover and move forward.
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"Every loss is different. Some hit harder than others, and they make you cry; they make you rethink a lot of things. Sometimes they set you back, but I think tennis is such a humbling sport in a way that you lose so many times that you learn to lose and you learn how to get back from those things. And what's beautiful about tennis is there is always a next time," she stated.