'We ran into him in the airport': Alexandra Eala shares experience of meeting Rafael Nadal first time

Philippines’ young tennis sensation Alexandra Eala has opened up about the first few meetings with the former world number one Rafael Nadal. The 19-year-old is regarded as one for the future after producing some incredible performances in the recent past.

She was the real surprise package during the recently concluded WTA 1000 event in Miami as her journey ended after she lost in the semifinal to the 2024 US Open runner-up, America’s Jessica Pegula, with a score of 7-6, 5-7, 6-3. During her way to the semifinal, Eala defeated three Grand Slam winners.

She got the better of the reigning world number two, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, in the quarterfinal in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 7-5. In the third round, the youngster defeated the 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-2. In the second round, Eala secured another straight-set win against the 2017 French Open winner, Latvia’s Jeļena Ostapenko, with a score of 7-6, 7-5.

Eala is a graduate of the Rafa Nadal academy in Spain. The 19-year-old recently spoke to WTA, where she spoke about meeting the former world number one Nadal for the first couple of times. In excitement, the youngster even forgot the first time she actually met the 22-time Grand Slam winner.

“The first time I met Rafa, I was on the way to his academy,” she said. “Oh my gosh! I was on the way to his academy because I was going to try it out before, before we committed, I was just going to try it out for a week. And then we ran into him in the airport, in the Madrid airport, and we, it's kind of embarrassing to say- we kind of ran after, like, not run after, but, you know, we were fangirling, and then, and then we told him, we’re going to your academy and stuff like that. And then he took a picture with us, and I'll try to find that picture, yeah, but that was the first time I actually met Rafa. Oh my gosh, that was the second time. “The first time, I met Rafa he was in, he came to my school in Manila for a clinic before his like, a tour- you know, before opening his academy. I was probably 10, and it was a big, it was a big event, and they literally held the clinic in the courts of my school, and I remember Tony fed me a couple of balls. Yeah, there's a video on YouTube of it. And I talked to Tony about that, that he fed me a few balls while he was in Manila. I mean, he doesn't remember, probably, but I swear, I swear it happened.”