Alex Eala recalls training on a basketball court before Wimbledon breakthrough

Alex Eala's rise at the 2026 Wimbledon may have unfolded on the sport's most famous grass courts, but her journey began on a far humbler stage back home.

Eala recalled having no grass courts to train on during her childhood in Quezon City, saying she instead honed her game on a tennis court painted over a basketball court.

The 21-year-old rising star even recalled having to be extra careful when stepping behind the baseline, as taking one step too far often meant running into the basketball hoop.

"I don't think there were any [grass courts] to my knowledge. No, no, I did not grow up on grass in the Philippines. I grew up on a court that was painted over a basketball court or the basketball court was painted over the tennis court," Eala said during the post-match press conference after she dethroned Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon Round of 32.

"And it's funny. So there would be the basketball hoops, you know, and so I couldn't really step back a lot because then I would hit the basketball hoop. But to answer your question, no, I did not grow up in grass."

Eala has come a long way.

From only playing on a makeshift tennis court, she is now among the brightest stars in women's tennis, rewriting history on Wimbledon's hallowed grass courts. And she's not done yet.

After pulling off a 7-6(9), 6-2 upset win over defending champion Iga Swiatek, Eala will once again test her mettle against Italian star Jasmine Paolini in the Round of 16 set for Monday night.

"Wimbledon has always been my favorite tournament. I gotta say, I always loved the tradition around it, the elegance," Eala added.

"I hold Wimbledon very close to my heart. And being able to play here on Centre Court the second year in a row, it's amazing for me to be able to do that and to have these intense moments and this level of competition, you know, in, well, essentially the best stage in the world for tennis."

—JKC, GMA News