Alex Eala is now one of the world’s top 50 female tennis players.
On Nov. 3, 2025, the tennis star made it into the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Top 50 to end her season. Eala won’t be competing until the Southeast Asian Games begin in December 2025, but the athlete’s most recent season has endeared her to Filipinos at home and overseas.
Eala has become a beloved symbol for what the Filipina can accomplish, but a closer look at the path she’s walked reveals that her triumphs came from doing things that would have been uncommon for many Filipino families.
The tennis star is a symbol of Philippine pride that simultaneously defies national tradition. ABS-CBN.com spoke with Alex Eala’s first-ever tennis coach, and used sports psychology to examine three crucial ways Eala rejected ingrained stereotypes about how Filipinos expect to achieve success.
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“Matapang si Alex. She was only seven when I met her, but she was already very determined,” said Ronard Joven, one of Eala’s first tennis coaches and her current hitting partner.
Joven tells ABS-CBN.com that Eala stood out as a child, not just because of her skill, but because of her resolve. “Madiin siya, [Alex] really focused on drills and techniques, not just the rallies and games,” the tennis coach adds.
Her determination, already present at seven years old, showed itself again when she was 14, when she decided to move out of her home and migrate to Spain. Eala defied tradition by leaving her family home early, where many Filipino families would insist on waiting until marriage or establishing her career.
Alex Eala’s parents and her grandfather supported her dreams of becoming a professional athlete, and stood by her plans to study at the Rafa Nadal Academy.
With the guidance of her grandfather and early tennis coaches, Eala developed not just talent, but work ethic, said Joven.
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Pursuing a childhood passion is another decision that sets Eala apart. Athletics is not the common career that most Filipino parents would deem sensible or desirable, like accounting, information technology (IT), healthcare, or overseas work.
She pursued a sport, a creative passion. Eala was committed to the most difficult parts of training, said Joven, adding she “was a standout among other children,” not just because of her skill (Joven adds that she was already able to use techniques that usually takes players years to master), but because she was dedicated to the “less fun” parts of training, like conditioning and reviewing past performances.
Grit isn’t the only mental skill in Alex Eala’s arsenal, though. The tennis star has discussed how she also values regulating her emotions and maintaining her mental health, instead of pretending it is irrelevant to her success.
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According to sports performance journals, focus on the court can easily be broken with emotions, which is why athletes need to be able to regulate their emotions, which can be done through various techniques.
The techniques can vary from sharpening an ability to identify and reframe thoughts, using thought ladders, and other cognitive behavioral techniques.
Though Alex Eala showed determination early on, her commitment to improve every aspect of her craft brought her mental and emotional strength to a higher level, said Joven.
When asked about what he taught Alex off the court, Joven said there was never much to teach: “she’s kind and respectful, with a strong work ethic, even off the court. It’s a dream of mine to see her succeed, and sobrang happy ko na I get to still be by her side as her hitting partner,” he adds.
Determination and focus can be trained, according to sports and medical health journals. While some have a tendency to be more determined, sports psychologists believe that athletes gain an edge by creating an environment and culture that allows for determination to be rewarded.
Such an environment, where emotional and mental health are a priority, remains rare in many Filipino households.
Alex Eala, who was encouraged by her support system, whose basic needs were met, had the freedom, equipment, facilities, and finances to accomplish her goals. Through her early independence, pursuit of a creative passion, and attention to her emotional health, she was able to create the conditions necessary to become one of the world’s finest tennis players.