Alex Eala 'super motivated' heading into Wimbledon juniors’ stint

MANILA, Philippines – The Wimbledon Championships may be Alex Eala’s first grass court stint but she is brimming with confidence and motivation that she can perform well like her impressive stints on other surfaces.

With the help of her team at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain, Eala said she’s covering all bases to be war-ready for the tough grass challenge in London, where she will play in both the girls’ singles and doubles play.

“I’m super motivated for Wimbledon. I’ve been working hard. My team has been working on my areas of improvement. I’m very confident but I would just go there and play, not expecting anything and will just take it match by match,” she said in a press conference with Globe over the weekend.

The 16-year-old Eala is coming off a clay court conquest in the 2021 French Open doubles earlier this month. She has also won on the hard court, claiming the 2020 Australian Open doubles crown.

On the grass court starting July 5, the ITF Juniors No. 3 eyes the same results amid an anticipated adjustment. 

“Of course, it’s going to be quite uncomfortable at first for I’ve never competed in grass but I think that I should be able to adjust quite well and play like normal. I’m just gonna stick on my game,” she added.

Should Eala go on to snatch Wimbledon, the US Open would only be the last puzzle to her Grand Slam collection of all the four tennis majors.

The Wimbledon will be Eala’s second straight juniors Slam tourney after refining her strokes with continuous stints in the women’s circuit, where she has climbed up to WTA No. 630 from No. 1190 only in her second pro year.