Camille Naredo

Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala answers questions and interacts with fans during a fan meet at Nike The Fort on Monday, July 13, 2026. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Alex Eala

Paige Javier

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178394229036820260713-alex-eala-nike-meet-greet-JC0796.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala answers questions and interacts with fans during a fan meet at Nike The Fort on Monday, July 13, 2026. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala answers questions and interacts with fans during a fan meet at Nike The Fort on Monday, July 13, 2026. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA – Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala said her younger self would be happy with how far she has come in her journey that started on a court in Pasig City.  </p><p>The 21-year-old recorded a historic win over defending Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek in the third round -- a result that she dedicated to her younger self, &quot;with the ruffled socks and chubby cheeks,&quot; who dreamt of making it big in the sport.</p><p>In her return to the Philippines, Eala shared what she would tell her four-year-old self following her historic Wimbledon run.  </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/7/13/historic-wimbledon-run-fuels-even-bigger-dreams-for-alex-eala-1338">READ: Historic Wimbledon run fuels even bigger dreams for Alex Eala</a></div><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t think she would be very surprised. Also, one, because she was a big dreamer. And second, because she also had no idea what it took to get here. And she learned that on the way, for sure,&quot; Eala said at the &quot;Play Mind Games&quot; exclusive meet-and-greet event at Nike Fort on Monday.  </p><p>&quot;But what I would tell her is that it&#x27;s so much better than she could have ever imagined. Living out the dreams and thinking that she has the life that she&#x27;s always wanted and she&#x27;s worked for it. And that she still has so much to look forward to. I think she&#x27;d be happy,&quot; she added.</p><p>As she continues to inspire both on and off the court, Eala encouraged everyone to dream big and to go after what they want to pursue, whether in sports or other fields. </p><p>&quot;Don&#x27;t be afraid to chase your dreams. And don&#x27;t be afraid to dream big. It&#x27;s never too late to dream big. It&#x27;s never too late to go for what you love. And I think you just have to enjoy. If you love it, it&#x27;s so much easier to enjoy the difficult moments and to get through them. And it&#x27;s much more rewarding if you love what you do,&quot; she said. </p><p>Eala made history as the first Filipina to reach the third and fourth rounds of a major in the Open Era.  </p><p>Her campaign ended in the round-of-16 against Jasmine Paolini, engaging the Italian veteran in a three-set affair before eventually falling short.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="960" height="540" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gGepqlbnOKk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala said her younger self would be happy with how far she has come in her journey that started on a court in Pasig City.</p>

Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala said her younger self would be happy with how far she has come in her journey that started on a court in Pasig City.

'It's so much better than she could have ever imagined:' Alex Eala believes younger self would be happy with her journey

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'It's so much better than she could have ever imagined:' Alex Eala believes younger self would be happy with her journey

Paige Javier,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 13, 2026 07:35 PM PHT

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Tennis

Alex Eala

Wimbledon

Nike

Iga Swiatek

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