Before her stunning victory over defending Wimbledon champion and world No. 3 Iga Swiatek, Alex Eala had already shared a memorable moment with the Polish tennis star at her graduation from the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2023.
Three years ago, Alex received her diploma from Rafael Nadal and Iga, who was the guest honor at her graduation ceremony.
In an interview with the BBC Sport following her Wimbledon breakthrough, Alex looked back on the special encounter.
"It's insane to think how much has changed in the past three years but I do remember I was so excited to see her 'cause every year for graduation in the academy they would get kind of a guest sports star and athlete, and that year I remember we got Iga. I was so excited, I was like, 'Hopefully we get someone good.' And she like threw her hat with us and she sat next to me and I was so excited 'cause I was like,' I was in the picture. We were together,'" she recalled.
Alex added that she was thrilled when Iga recognized her as she received her diploma. "And then when I walked up and I said hi to her when I got my diploma, she knew me. So, I was also really excited about that," she recounted.
During the 2023 graduation ceremony, Iga also delivered a speech.
"I hope no matter what you do in the future years, if you're going to give 100 percent, if you're going to dedicate your focus and time to do it the best way possible, no matter what the result is going to be I'm sure that you'll have no regrets at the end," she said in her speech at that time as reported by www.wtatennis.com.
The Polish tennis star also reminded the graduates at that time the importance of taking care of one's mental health.
"When I was younger it was really hard to open up, to talk about what I want to do, what I want to achieve, how I feel. When I started doing that I felt I could truly work on myself and I became a much better person," she stated.
"So whatever you do in the future, don't hesitate to seek help. Don't hesitate to talk about difficult stuff," she added.
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The Rafa Nadal Academy, located in Manacor, Mallorca in Spain, is "based on an elaborate methodology designed by the technical team that has taken Rafa Nadal to the top of the professional circuit. Led by Toni Nadal himself, the Academy’s team of coaches is able to maximize each player’s strengths and bring out the best in each player, on and off the court," as per its website.