Alex Eala’s latest feat is one off-court. She’s part of this year’s TIME 100 NEXT, an annual list of the world’s most influential rising stars and leaders who are shaping the future.
Eala is under the Innovators category alongside the likes of the British actor Himesh Patel, the American actress and filmmaker Molly Gordon, and American comedian and actor Druski.
As is customary for the annual list, each awardee profile is accompanied by a write-up by a giant in their field. For Eala, it’s none other than the tennis legend Rafael Nadal. The 22-time major champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, who founded the Rafa Nadal Academy, where Eala started training at 13 in 2018, had nothing but praise for the Filipina rising tennis player, who’s now ranked No. 18 in the world.
The Spanish former professional tennis player said that Eala was the first player he shared a tennis court with after his retirement. “One day, she asked whether I felt like hitting with her for a while. For the first time in many months, I picked up a racket and played again.”
“I’ve been lucky enough to know Alex since she began her journey at Rafa Nadal Academy, and have closely followed her tremendous career,” Nadal wrote. “This year, she won the WTA 500 tournament, becoming the first player from the Philippines to break into the world’s top 20. And she still has plenty of room to grow. One of her greatest strengths is precisely her ability to listen, learn, and keep improving.”
Nadal adds, “Alex remains a wonderful person—warm, approachable, and humble” despite her successes on- and off-court. Apart from drawing huge crowds and engaging new fans in the world of tennis, by some estimates, Eala is projected to be the highest-paid female athlete next year, just behind the American two-time major champion Coco Gauff.
Eala is currently playing for the Philippine flag at the Asian Games in Aichi Prefecture in Japan, where she’s off to the women’s singles semi-finals after beating Chinese-Taipei’s Joanna Garland.
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