First Ball Forehand

Alexandra Eala Is Giving Tennis Something Special

Sometimes you watch sports for the competition. Sometimes you watch because you’re fascinated by the technique, tactics, or incredible athletic ability on display. And every once in a while, something happens that reminds you why sports matter beyond any of those things.

Alexandra Eala is creating one of those moments right now.

Let’s talk tennis.

Eala’s rise has become much bigger than a young player winning tennis matches. She’s become a source of enormous pride in the Philippines, where her breakthrough has reportedly sparked new interest in tennis, increased demand for courts and lessons, and turned her matches into national events. Her support has traveled with her, too, with Filipino flags and passionate crowds becoming increasingly familiar sights wherever she plays.

And that’s what I find so inspiring about this story.

Eala gives people someone to rally around. She’s only 21, yet she competes with a bulldog mentality on the court while projecting a genuine appreciation for everything happening around her. She fights. She competes. She keeps finding ways through difficult matches.

Then you see the joy surrounding her success, and it’s contagious.

Sometimes the Match Is Bigger Than the Result

Her match against Caty McNally in Toronto was a perfect example.

The tennis itself was terrific. Eala was looking to take balls early, cut off time and control the baseline. McNally countered with variety, changes of pace and a willingness to make Eala solve different problems. It turned into a three-set fight that could have gone either way before Eala finally came through 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

But I found myself enjoying something beyond the score.

Here were two players battling, producing completely different styles of tennis, refusing to go away and giving everyone watching something to appreciate. Eala had enormous support behind her, but McNally’s fight added to the spectacle rather than taking anything away from it.

That’s sports at its best.

You don’t need the opponent to become the villain. You don’t need controversy. You don’t even need to dislike the person standing on the other side of the net.

Sometimes two athletes competing as hard as they possibly can is enough.

This Is Why Sports Still Matter

We spend an awful lot of time talking about what’s wrong with sports.

Bad behavior. Money. Controversy. Fans going too far. Athletes behaving badly. There is always something negative available if that’s what we’re looking for.

Eala’s story is a wonderful reminder to look in the other direction occasionally.

Sports can create community around something incredibly simple: hope.

We don’t know where Eala’s career ultimately goes. She’s already accomplished something historic by becoming the first Filipino to win a WTA Tour singles title, but this story doesn’t need a prediction about Grand Slams or No. 1 rankings to make it meaningful.

Look at what’s happening right now.

People are watching tennis who might not otherwise watch tennis. Kids are seeing someone from their country succeed on one of the world’s biggest sporting stages. Fans thousands of miles from home are finding each other in stadiums because they’re united by one player carrying their flag.

We’ve seen that same phenomenon happen in other sports. A country gets behind a team or an athlete, and suddenly strangers have something in common.

That’s powerful.

And it’s fun.

For someone who simply loves tennis, watching another group of people discover that excitement is incredibly rewarding.

First Ball Forehand Match Point

So today, forget rankings, predictions and what’s coming next.

Enjoy this one.

Alexandra Eala is giving a lot of people a reason to love tennis, and they’re giving that enthusiasm right back to her. That’s one of the beautiful things sports can do.

See you on the court.

Source: Publicly available ATP/WTA reporting and season coverage.