Alex Eala endured a tough loss in the Philippine Women’s Open, exiting in the quarterfinals against Camila Osorio on Thursday night.
Competitiveness is in the core of every athlete, including Filipina tennis star Alex Eala.
While setbacks will always be part of the game, there are moments in her life as a tennis player that are more difficult than others.
Having fallen short of the crown in the maiden Philippine Women’s Open after a loss in the quarterfinals against Colombia’s Camila Osorio on Thursday night, the 20-year-old reflected on how she’s gone through the ups and downs of her career.
Especially with emotions in tennis now a hot topic following Eala’s former doubles partner Coco Gauff’s situation with racket smashing after her loss, Eala underscored the importance of working through all the emotions in the wins and losses of tennis.
[READ: Alex Eala falls to Camila Osorio in QF, exits Philippine Women’s Open]
“It's difficult. I think everyone has their own ways of coping. For me personally, it's not always the same for each loss, the way I cope. I think a part of this journey is learning to be self-aware in terms of knowing what I need to do to step back and regroup,” Eala said.
“Because in the end, in tennis, you lose a lot. Some losses are going to be more difficult than others. So it's something I guess you have to manage,” she added.
With her results varying from time to time, the Rafa Nadal Academy scholar acknowledged that there is no one size fits all to dealing with the pressure of being one of the world’s best tennis players at the moment.
At the end of the day, Eala is always making sure to look within herself to hurdle every mental challenge she faces.
“Yeah, it's tough and it's just different in every situation for me. I don't really have a specific something that I do all the time. It's just very different each loss,” she said.
Eala’s safety net
In dealing with losses, both in life and in sport, one of the things that make things a little bit easier on the heart is a good support system.
From family to fans, Eala does have that support system.
It was undeniable from the amount of fans she’s drawn over the past few weeks, from Auckland to right here in Manila as she helped sell out almost all days of the country’s first-ever WTA 125 tournament.
While it does feel good to be loved and supported the way that she has been throughout her career, Eala does hope to be able to repay all their efforts with her own success. Heading over to Abu Dhabi on Friday night to play as a wild card in the WTA 500 tournament, the 20-year-old eyes bringing even more pride to the Philippines.
[RELATED: Alex Eala expresses regret, gratitude after bowing out of Philippine Women's Open]
“I think playing in front of crowds like this that are passionate and that support you makes losses... It's a double-sided sword, I think. On one end, it does cushion the blow because you know that they're there for you and they support,” said Eala.
“On the other hand, it hurts a little more and it's a little harder to accept because you know you want to do them. Do the best for them, but I think I gave it my all today and there were no regrets, so I'm happy about that,” she continued.
Eala, arguably one of the country’s most prominent athletes at the moment, will vie for redemption and bigger wins once the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open begins over the weekend.
She joins the likes of Belinda Bencic, Leylah Fernandez, Maya Joint, and Janice Tjen in the tournament.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.