Alexandra Eala overwhelmed by incredible rise as she attempts to deal with pressure: "The obligation first and foremost is to myself"

Alexandra Eala has firmly cemented herself among one of the more recognisable faces on the WTA Tour. A huge factor of that is the fans that she brings to every event around the world, but also he glittering potential and prosperous personality have got many complimenting her.

Throughout this campaign, Eala has managed to stay positive and focused on the task at hand. She was not fazed after relinquishing her top 32 status at the Miami Open with the points from that incredible semi-final breakthrough run taken off. She continues to soldier on through the clay swing, completing opportunities and meeting people she could have only dreamed of. It is something that she best get used to.

For Eala, the tennis season has flown by. “I think that it feels like it's only the start of the season, but we're already almost in May. So I think time flies by really fast, and when you think about it, so much has happened, and I've had a lot of ups and downs already,” she told reporters in Madrid earlier this month.

“I like to say that what I learned also from last year and what's continuing to unfold is that when I have a bad loss, or a tough moment, it's not as bad as it seems, and when I have a good win, it's also not as good as it seems.”

Playing against the best players in the world seems like a daunting task, but Eala is now doing it on a regular basis, even picking up a few wins here and there. She emphasised how much of a challenge it is to compete with the juggernauts of tennis.

“I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity and I've won a couple of matches and had some deep runs, right? So the level is also increasing of the opponents that I play on a consistent basis, so I think that's something that's really challenging."

She is edging in the right direction, focusing on her fitness which is coming in handy on such a physical surface like clay. “I think this year I've improved my fitness a lot, so I'm trying to get to a point where I'm able to use my fitness, and really, I think clay is the best place to do that.”

Eala's rise has been helped hugely by the overwhelming number of fans who regularly attend her matches. People from Eala's native Philippines have caught the tennis bug, now regularly following the footsteps of their trailblazer as she continues to storm up the order.

Other players have also taken notice in recent times. “It's amazing. I mean, it's incredible. I've seen a lot of the stadiums be packed,” world number five Jessica Pegula said back in Dubai enroute to winning the title.

“It's been really cool to see her come up and just the support she gets no matter where she is, really, like, I think in Australia, obviously, you have a little bit more in that country, or here [in Dubai], but I mean, I played her in Miami, and it was like all Filipino fans. And I'm like, 'Wait, I live an hour away. I'm American, like what is going on?' But I think that's really cool.”

It took her sometime before accepting her fame, especially in the Southeast of Asia. She spoke to the Tennis Channel in Rome around the expectation placed on her by many. She stated the importance of focusing on herself before anyone else as she was quizzed on whether the pressure was getting to her.

“Of course, I want to give back as much as they give for me. But the obligation first and foremost is to myself,” she replied. “It's my journey. I'm really super grateful that everyone, all of these supporters want to follow in that journey that I have. But I owe it to myself first and foremost and to my family and to my team to give it everything I have, and yeah, the rest will follow.”

She is trying to find the best way to deal with all of this. “I think I just try to find the healthiest way to deal with all of this, because I feel like so many things can go wrong, but at the same time, it's all about balance,” she said on Andy Roddick’s podcast Served.

“Like, it is a big deal when I want it to be, and at the same time, it's not really a big deal, because at the end of the day, I get to do what I love, and I feel like I've come such a long way, and I think it just comes from, because of the fact that I'm super proud of myself, and I'm really happy with what I've been able to do so far, and I know that I still have so much potential to go forward, and I'm really working for it.

“It's a lot of gratitude. I've come a long way. For the first 10 years of my tennis career, I was training in a court that was like half basketball, so, yeah, and now I'm playing, I've played on Wimbledon Centre Court, which is like my ultimate dream, aside from winning Wimbledon. Yeah, so I'm really grateful.”

Not just on the court that Eala is seeing and even playing against players she had looked up to and inspired by. She was fortunate enough to go to the Laurens Sports Awards in Madrid, ahead of the tournament.

She was among greats of not just her sport, but other professions too. She could feel her heart pounding as co-hosts Novak Djokovic and skier Eileen Gu came closer. “Once they came close to me, I could feel my heart racing, like seriously racing. My heart rate spiked up when they came close to me,” she commented.

Gu was the one that Eala was most hopeful of meeting. The Chinese had recently taken the Winter Olympics by storm, earning a gold and two silvers as she showcased her dominance in her disciplines. “She's so inspirational, of course. She does it all, and she's so authentic, and I think she carries herself with so much grace,” Eala said.

“For me, one thing that stands out about Eileen is really her intelligence and the way she is so composed when she talks and how organised she is. How she expresses her thoughts and her emotions. And I've seen some clips online that have been circulating how she regulates and handles the emotions she feels. And I'm sure being a legend of her sport and a legend of sport in general, it comes with a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of challenges. And she's able to do it all, really. Yeah, so super inspiring.”

It has already been a whirlwind of a year for Eala. The 20-year-old may still be star-struck to be in the positions that she is in, but most certainly belongs there. From a tennis perspective, Roland Garros is the next big objective. She failed to make it past the first round in Paris last year, hoping to go much deeper this time around.