Carlos Alcaraz was just a kid when Rafael Nadal became his hero. “Since I started to play tennis, I’m watching his matches. I look up to him and I grew up watching him. He was my idol, he is still my idol,” Alcaraz said when Nadal announced his retirement. The 22-time Grand Slam champion inspired him to pick up a racket. And Alcaraz isn’t the only one. Alexandra Eala, a 19-year-old rising star at the Miami Open, is another player who idolizes Nadal. And why not? She trained at his academy. And a throwback video proves just how much influence the legendary Spaniard has on her.
Eala has been on a dream run in Miami. The Filipino teenager recently pulled off a stunning upset over World No. 2 Iga Swiatek to reach the semi-finals That’s not all. On her run to the quarterfinals the World No. 140 has taken down Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys, becoming just the second wild card to defeat three or more Slam winners in a single tournament. The first was Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon 2023. Before this event, Eala had never beaten a Top 40 player, nor faced one in the Top 20; now, she owns two Top 10 victories.
Amid growing fame, Rafael Nadal’s influence shines through. The ITF recently shared a throwback video featuring Eala at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where they spent a day with her a year ago. The video captures her walking through the museum’s trophy room, marveling at his achievements, and reflecting on his impact. “It is hugely inspirational to see him practicing almost every day and to see him in the gym. It’s really motivating to see his work ethic and something that we can all copy from him. Of course, to be within the presence of all this history and especially here in the museum to see it again. I looked up to him as a kid and I saw a lot of similarities. You know, we’re both lefties. I loved how he fought on court. So I try to also channel that when I play tennis,” she said.
Eala left the Philippines for Mallorca at just 13 to join the Rafa Nadal Academy, where she honed her skills for seven years. She graduated from the academy in 2023, with Nadal himself attending the ceremony. Coincidentally, Swiatek, whom she just defeated, was also present at the event.
Her achievements have got the attention of her idol as well.
Alexandra Eala receives words of encouragement from Rafael Nadal
When Alexandra Eala defeated the 2017 French Open champion, Jelena Ostapenko, in the R64, Rafael Nadal shared a post on his social media account, saying, “Congratulations Alex! What a great win for you and for [the Philippines].” Then again, after her impressive 6-4, 6-2 victory against the reigning AO champion, Madison Keys, the Spaniard was seen applauding the youngster. Rafa took to his Instagram Story, applauding her success with “@alex.eala.”
This time, Nadal came up with a tweet saying, “E We are extremely proud of you, Alex. What an incredible tournament! Let’s keep dreaming! .”
The Rafa Nadal Academy has been her “home for the past seven years.” Talking about the academy’s pivotal role in her rapid rise, she once admitted, “Of course, my family should take credit for the foundation that they laid out before they sent me there. But of course, the academy was able to build on that foundation in such a way that I’m able to be where I am now.”
Rafael Nadal’s uncle & ex-coach, Toni Nadal, was also spotted in her box during her match against Swiatek. During her post-match interview with the Tennis Channel, Alexandra Eala talked about how happy she was to see Toni attending her match. The 19-year-old said,”Well, I worked very closely with Toni alongside of course my coach Joan, Sandro, and the other people from the academy. It meant a lot that he showed up here. I know that he had to catch a flight but it showed the confidence he had in me and the confidence the academy had in me. I also didn’t know that he was going to come until this morning.”
Now, Eala faces an even bigger test—Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals. Can she pull off another upset and continue her fairytale run?
The post “We’re Both Lefties,” Rafael Nadal and Alexandra Eala Strike Off Uncanny on Court Resemblances appeared first on EssentiallySports.
