Tennis superstar Alex Eala, fresh off her historic Wimbledon run, discussed a wide range of topics during a special media gathering recently.
When Alex Eala made her main draw debut at the US Open last year, she attracted attention as much for her stirring first round comeback win against Clara Tauson as for her hair tie that was made of sampaguita.
The choice of sampaguita was by design: it’s the national flower of the Philippines, and Alex has always proudly worn her Filipino heritage on her sleeve (or in this case, her hair).
It’s also part of a conscious effort from the tennis icon to push the envelope a little more when it comes to her fashion sense, specifically about blending local culture in her outfits both on and off the court.
“I’ve started incorporating Filipino touches in my fashion, and I love that,” Eala said during a recent media gathering hosted by longtime supporter BPI. “I think, on one hand, it is a way for me to pay tribute to my culture, and it’s a slight nod to where I come from.”
The fashion statements not only display her heritage. They also give her a confidence boost, whether it’s on the court or on the red carpet.
“I genuinely think it’s really beautiful. For example, when I wore the Sampaguita last year, I felt super beautiful. I felt confident on court, and I was ready to play. Or when I wore the Filipiniana at the Laureus Sports Awards this year, I felt so beautiful. I felt like a princess.
“I do love fashion, and I think as I’m growing older and as I have more events to go to, it’s something that I’ve definitely been tapping into and finding my style.”
While tennis protocol generally puts subtle limits on what a player can or cannot wear during matches, Alex says she is more than willing to collaborate with more Filipino designers to further promote Filipino culture while staying true to her own fashion sense.
“I think I would describe my on-court style as…I’m quite girly, I think, but also in a confident way, a little edgy. I’m still trying to figure it out, but I think it’s a beautiful process, and I’m really enjoying it.”
‘Wow, I did that!’
Alex Eala proudly displaying her fashion sense is but an extension of the confidence she has built up this year, a byproduct of the success she has achieved on the WTA Tour. It seems that every few weeks she sets a new milestone, only to surpass it later on.
“First Filipino tennis player to break the top 40” was soon trumped by “first to break the top 30.” Her recent Wimbledon run alone broke new ground every match. First seeded Filipino singles player in a Grand Slam tournament. First to reach the second round in two Slams. First to reach the third round. First to reach the fourth round. First to meet the Princess of Wales.
All this culminated in her clinical straight sets dismantling of defending champion Iga Swiatek in the Round of 16, on Centre Court no less, in front of Hollywood stars Andrew Garfield and Tom Hiddleston.
The highlight of that win was, of course, her diving to save a point. Alex was almost parallel to the ground, yet she got to the ball and somehow got it over the net. And just like that, a meme was born.
“There are a lot of memes of it going around right now,” she said “I think it’s doing its rounds. And I’m so grateful because it was a hard shot to do. And when I saw the photo afterwards, every time I see it and every time I see the video, I’m like, ‘Wow, I did that.’”
The cherry on top of the Wimbledon cake was her post-match speech, where she harkened back to the time when her much younger self was still learning how to swing a racket under the guidance of her grandfather.
“It was something that I envisioned in the last changeover. I think when you’re that close, you’re really trying to prevent yourself from thinking of, ‘Oh, if I win, like that, like that,’ so and so. And I do try to make it a point to just think in the moment, think about the next point. But in that last changeover, I don’t know, the image of myself, exactly how I described it to be with my lolo and my kuya.
“So that popped into my head, and I think it was just natural that – I don’t know. And it was a really sweet and really sentimental moment.”
Continuing the rise
Her Wimbledon run has propped up Alex’s ranking to an all-time high of 28th in the world, with still plenty of tennis left to play in 2026.
She’s planning on competing in the Nagoya Asian Games in late September, eager to surpass the bronze medal she won in Hangzhou in 2023. Before that, there’s the last Slam of the year – the US Open in Queens, site of her memorable win over Tauson last year. Now that she’s set the bar higher, a run into the third round and beyond should be expected, although Alex prefers to take it a step at a time.
“I don’t have a specific round that I say, ‘Oh, I need to reach this.’ The way I approach tournaments is kind of every match by match, round by round. I do want to get as far as I possibly can.
“Of course, the ultimate goal is to win, right? But I take it round by round.”
Her steady ascent is also a testament to an improved mental approach, one that’s allowed her to navigate through periods of adversity. Alex shares that she doesn’t have any set rituals to stay mentally sharp, just the daily challenges that force any athlete to sharpen their approach.
“I think mental toughness in the life of a professional athlete, especially a professional tennis player, is being practiced every day, and it’s not something that I have exercises for, or it’s not something that, ‘Oh, I go and I do so-and-so exercise for my mental toughness.’
“It’s naturally developed because of all the situations you’re put in. You’re always in high-pressure situations. You always want to do well. You’re always self-demanding, and you’re always put in these positions where you have to face it head-on, and you have to do what you do best.
“I think it’s a continuous process of learning things. My journey in professional tennis has already been so long, but it’s only getting started.
“And I think that one thing I’ve learned about myself is how to control my emotions and how I can dictate my emotions rather than let my emotions dictate me. So it’s a way of handling myself better.”
Now, as Alex Eala continues her rise, she recognizes the need to be true to oneself and block out all the noise. Anything less will stall her climb.
“I cannot speak for how people perceive me before or after my Wimbledon run, but I do know that I don’t see myself any differently,” she said. “I’ve experienced all the hard work that I’ve put in. I know who I am, and I think it’s very important when you’re in such public settings, in such vulnerable settings, to know who you truly are.
“And I’m confident to say that I’m pretty sure I know who I am.”
Banner images by Sid Ventura
Frequently Asked Questions
Alex Eala made a historic run to the fourth round (Round of 16) at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. As the first seeded Filipino player in Grand Slam singles history, she defeated top-tier competitors before falling to Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in a competitive three-set match.
Alex Eala secured the biggest win of her career by defeating defending champion and world seed Iga Swiatek, 7-6(9), 6-2, in the third round of Wimbledon. She also defeated Renata Zarazua in the first round and Maya Joint in the second round.
Alex Eala achieved a historic, career-high singles ranking of world No. 28 on July 13, 2026, following her round of 16 appearance at Wimbledon. This milestone officially makes her the highest-ranked Filipino tennis player in WTA Tour history.
Alex Eala proudly integrates local touches into her style by wearing hair ties designed like the sampaguita, the national flower of the Philippines. She also represented her heritage off the court by wearing a traditional Filipiniana gown at the prestigious Laureus Sports Awards.
Following her Wimbledon success, Alex Eala is scheduled to compete on the North American hard courts, including the WTA 500 Mubadala DC Open, the Canadian Open, and the US Open, before representing the Philippines at the Nagoya Asian Games in late September.
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