Philippine tennis sensation Alex Eala hardly has any experience playing on clay surfaces, but watching Rafa Nadal play and practice has influenced the way she performed during her campaign in the 2020 French Open's Roland Garros Junior Tennis Championships girls' singles, where she made it to the semifinals.
The 15-year-old Eala, a Rafa Nadal Academy scholar in Mallorca, Spain, didn't have to talk to the world no. 2-ranked men's professional netter whenever he practices over the last two months.
But studying Nadal's actions while he trains on the clay courts of the Rafa Nadal Academy is more than enough.
“I've been watching. You can already get a lot of tips from that. But I have not been personally talking to him,” said Eala, hours after returning back to the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy during a virtual huddle on Zoom with scribes on a rainy Sunday evening.
Eala said she had to observe from afar, Nadal, who is now in the men's finals against world no. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Eala, ranked no. 4 in the world, could not go near the neighboring court, where Nadal was working out due to social distancing measures and restrictions that have been imposed since Spain has been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Europe.
Eala also admired the vast experience of eventual girls' singles champion Elsa Jacquemot, who she duelled in the semifinals.
Playing against the third-seeded Jacquemot showed Eala how far she has gone over the last three years.
“Elsa was very good and she ended up winning. She's got a lot of experience also in the women's tour, And she got in on a wildcard in the main draw. I did not expect anything less from an amazing player. I tried everything I could at that time and it was a very good match,” said Eala on her semis game with Jacquemot.
The 17-year-old Jacquemot, who was favored because of her age and experience, eventually went to the finals after beating Eala, 3-6, 2-6, in a 64-minute contest.
In the finals, the heavily favored French bet staged an impressive fightback as Jacquemot went on to overcome Elina Charaeva of Russia, 6-3, 6-2, and seal the girls’ title. Jacquemot became the first French girl to be crowned a Junior Grand Slam champion since Kristina Mladenovic did it in 2009.
Eala does not see much action on clay court surfaces, but her participation in the French Open gave her a chance to improve on her game on a different turf.
Because of this, the quality of Eala's game has changed since she started playing in international meets three years ago.
The contrast can be seen in how Eala fought her way into the semis.
“There's a big difference and fitness-wise. And it comforts that in a span of three years, I was able to keep going,” said Eala.
Despite her loss, Eala has already set a milestone since she has never gotten this far in a Grand Slam tournament.
Eala, a Globe Ambassador since 2013, was the first Filipina to win a Grand Slam title after taking the 2020 Australian Open juniors doubles' title early this year with Indonesian partner Priska Nugroho.
