AN eventful 2021 for Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala gets added dimension as she kicks off her Wimbledon juniors campaign beginning next week.
Missed on the opportunity to compete in the prestigious tournament last year as it was canceled because of the pandemic, 16-year-old Eala said she is going to try her best to make her first-ever Wimbledon and grass tournament a memorable one and something to build on.
“First of all, I’m super excited to go to London. It’s going to be my first time there and also my first time competing on grass. So that’s going to be a new experience. I’ll need to learn how to adjust to it,” shared Ms. Eala in a recent press conference hosted by Globe, which she is an ambassador of.
“We’re doing everything we can, but in case I’m not able to, then that’s fine as well. I’ll go there and just get used to the court.”
The Rafa Nadal scholar will be competing in both the juniors singles and doubles events although her partner for the latter has yet to be named as of this writing.
Ms. Eala has been having it solid this year both as a juniors player and on the professional circuit.
The number three juniors player in the world, Ms. Eala has earned the exemption to play in a number of International Tennis Federation (ITF) pro tournaments where she is holding her own, including winning her first title early this year in Spain and consistently reaching championship rounds.
She is coming off a successful junior doubles campaign in the French Open where she won the title with Russian partner Oksana Selekhmeteva. It was her second Grand Slam juniors title after the Australian Open last year.
The tennis ace said that while she is proud of all the achievements she has earned to date, continued development is still primary for her at this stage of her career.
“I’m not focusing too much on results at the moment. My goal right now is improving my overall game. I believe the results will just follow,” she said.
“I have been working hard and my team has been working on my areas of improvement.”
The main draw of the Wimbledon juniors tournament begins on July 5. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo