After five years, Junior Grand Slam Champion Alex Eala has graduated from the famous Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain.
After spending five years at the Rafa Nadal Academy (RNA), Junior Grand Slam Champion Alex Eala is graduating from the highly coveted training program.
Alex Eala moved to Mallorca, Spain when she was only 12 years old to train in the RNA and has spent her junior career with the Academy as her support system.
The training definitely paid off, as she became the first Filipina to cop a Junior Grand Slam title when she won the 2022 US Open girls’ singles tournament, making history for the Philippines.
Since reaching the pinnacle of her junior career, the Filipina has since been focusing on the professional circuit, competing in major Grand Slams and in senior International Tennis Federation (ITF) events. In fact, just two weeks ago, Alex Eala won her first professional title of the year and third overall in the W25 Yecla tournament in Spain.
Since her recent title win, she has shot up the rankings from 266th to 228th.
The tennis legend himself, Rafael Nadal, attended the graduation and shared posts on his social media platforms to celebrate the graduates. In addition, the recent French Open champion and World No. 1, Iga Swiatek, also attended the graduation ceremony as a special guest.
During the ceremony, Rafa Nadal was kind enough to share some advice with the crop of graduates. “I am not a person who gives advice, but I’d give one, ‘Give yourself opportunities. Don’t get frustrated when things don’t go your way,” he said.
Concluding her junior career on a high, Alex Eala will now be moving on to bigger goals. As she said herself after her recent ITF title win, “Many lessons and positive takeaways from this week. More to come.”
Banner image from Rafa Nadal Academy.
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