Staying grounded
Andy Roddick was playing fellow legend Roger Federer in a special fan event as a drum-up to the US Open when he looked at the stands and saw Alex Eala sitting there.
“I saw [you] and I said [to myself], ‘If I had her groundstrokes, I would win this set,’” Roddick told Eala during a live recording of his popular podcast, “Served.”
Eala, laughing, shot back: “If I had your serve, I would win [a lot].”
The exchange between the rising star from the Philippines and the well-loved American legend was a snapshot of how comfortable Eala has grown with her skyrocketing fame—and how expertly she’s been navigating through it despite her relative youth.
“[E]verything that has been coming my way is continuously uncharted territory for me. So, I’m experiencing a lot of things for the first time,” Eala told Roddick during the show. “And … it’s been a journey to learn my relationship with the fame, … the exposure. I understand the importance of what I represent, who I represent, what values I carry on court [and] the culture I carry on court. But at the same time, it was important for me to understand that it’s the culture that’s important, and it’s what I represent that’s important, and it’s not so much just me as an individual.”
“I think a reason also why I have such a big following is because people see themselves in me. So, I’m representing those people, and it’s not really just me on the stage.”
Her comfort level and her maturity when it comes to handling that fame will be important as she kicks off her US Open bid on Monday, when she battles Mary Stoiana (11 p.m., Manila time).
Eala has kept herself busy in the days leading to that matchup, playing mixed doubles with Felix Auger-Aliassime and then headlining another US Open fan-favorite event, the Stars of the Open exhibition. All her appearances, even during the Roddick podcast, proved the strength of her drawing power.
And in New York, that power will get amplified. The US Open site in the Flushing Meadows is about a 15- to 20-minute train ride from Woodside, which has a strong Filipino presence. Queens itself is home to a huge number of immigrants from the Philippines, guaranteeing jam-packed arenas for Eala’s matches.
That kind of spotlight heat could make a normal 21-year-old wilt.
But time and again, Eala has proven she is no ordinary 21-year-old.
“I think I’ve experienced so much growth in the past year and so many milestones in my career,” the world No. 18 said during the pretournament press conference. “I think there are so many lessons in particular in terms of … work ethic, obviously being in this environment a lot more.”
And while people have recognized the things she has done for tennis, not just for the Philippines but for the sport in general with the new audiences she has been drawing in, Eala brushed off the suggestion.
“[E]very single WTA player and every single ATP player has contributed to the world of tennis and its history just by being here and by putting in the work every single day,” Eala said. “So although there are certain things like the media and the things that you mentioned that make me stand out, I think that I’m a drop in the ocean when it comes to these things. And the more I’m on tour, the more I learn about the history. Of course, this year, having had the pleasure to play doubles twice with Venus, I’ve learned a lot about her mentality on court, but also things about how she championed equal prize money with her sister and things like that.”
“And maybe the regular player on tour who’s not so exposed [in] the media, what they’ve had to work towards and what they’ve had to work through to get to where they are now is so inspiring in itself. So there are so many stories behind the scenes that you might not even realize. So that really keeps me humble.”
“It keeps me motivated to work harder and … stay among these incredible people.”
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