'God of Clay' Rafael Nadal congratulates Pinay sensation Alex Eala
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Tennis champion Rafael Nadal is happy for Pinay player Alex Eala's big win in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Manacor Tournament.
Tennis champion and dubbed by his ardent fans as 'God of Clay' Rafael Nadal was one proud mentor to Pinay teen sensation Alex Eala, after the latter bagged the title in the W15 ITF Manacor Tournament--Eala's first title as a professional tennis player.
Alex, who is currently training under the tennis superstar in Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, received a congratulatory post from Nadal himself via Instagram.
Rafa wrote, “Congratulations @alex.eala for this important moment in your career.
“We are all very happy for you!
“Keep up the good work and attitude. #vamos”
Alex also received a deluge of congratulatory messages from fellow Pinoys for this new feat in her budding career as a tennis player.
Last year, Alex made a huge splash in the Australian Open, after she and her Indonesian partner Priska Madelyn Nugroho bagged the juniors doubles title.
It's not surprising that Alex Eala turned out to become a promising athlete, as her mom, Rizza Maniego-Eala, is an exceptional athlete as well, winning the bronze medal in the women's 100m backstroke at the 1985 Southeast Asian Games.
In addition, her elder brother, Miko, trains at the Rafael Nadal Academy as well.
Back in October 2020, GMA News Online got the chance to interview Alex Eala, wherein she shared her experience training in the academy.
"You learn discipline, you learn how to be away from your family, independence, and of course you need to work hard. You need to be self-demanding,”
"Things like that eventually lead up to the weeks that are gonna matter the most, which are the tournaments I think you develop a lot as a person here,"
She has also only kind words to say to Rafael Nadal, who remains humble despite what he has accomplished.
Eala said, "He is so grounded and he has achieved more than anything I could dream of. And the fact that he is still so nice to everyone around here is very admirable from him,"
Rafael Nadal is one of the biggest names in tennis history. The Spanish champion has amassed 20 Grand Slam titles tying with his good friend, Swiss maestro Roger Federer.
Out of the 20 titles--13 of which were from the French Open (Roland-Garros).
