Alex Eala met tennis legend Billie Jean King in the annual "Power Hour" under the WTA Player Development mentoring program.
Alex Eala got to meet Billie Jean King, an interaction that inspired her to dream bigger and become a trail blazer just like the tennis legend.
Eala participated in the "Billie Jean King Power Hour," an annual activity under the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Player Development Program that offers guidance and mentoring from former women's players to the current ones held at the BJK National Tennis Center before action kicks off in the main draw of the US Open.
"Meeting someone like Billie Jean King makes you want to dream bigger. It makes you want to become a trail blazer just like she is, and I believe I have the opportunity to do that for Philippine tennis," Eala shared in an exclusive interview with One Sports.
Alex Eala shares a photo of her at Flushing Meadows on her Instagram story.
King is a former world no. 1 who collected 39 Grand Slam titles, 12 of which from singles, and championed for equality in tennis.
Joining forces with eight other brave women players that comprised the "Original Nine," King protested against the inequity in prize money for women players, eventually leading to the formation of the women's professional tour, the WTA, in 1973.
That year, the US Open became the first Grand Slam to offer equal prize money for both men and women.
World no. 153 Eala, who is hoping to get a spot in the last major of the year as a Lucky Loser after bowing to 61st-ranked Elena Gabriela-Ruse of Romania in the third round in the qualies, shared her admiration for King.
"I admire her greatly, just as almost all of the women on the tour do. She didn’t just champion for equality in tennis, but in life in general. I admire that she isn’t afraid to fight for what she believes, on court or otherwise," said Eala, who is gunning to become the first Filipina to play in a Grand Slam singles main draw.
Eala, 2022 US Open girls champion, shared some of her learnings from King — the importance of compartmentalizing mentally as well as the latter's contribution to women's tennis history.
How the tennis legend was able to balance championing important causes to being a champion on the court inspired Eala.
"What stood out to me yesterday was her advice on how to balance thinking about the bigger picture and focusing on the little things. She highlighted the importance of compartmentalizing," shared Eala, also a girls' doubles champion in the Australian Open in 2020 and in Roland Garros the following year.
"It was surreal to talk to Billie about her part and experience in such significant moments in history. The fact that she was able to balance making waves in equality, paving the way for women’s professional tennis, and focusing on her impressive tennis career is truly inspiring," Eala added.
Eala shared that King actually spent a few moments to talk to her personally where they were able to discuss about tennis in the Philippines.
"Billie was kind enough to spare a few short moments to talk with me personally. She asked me about the situation of tennis in the Philippines, and I was happy to talk to her about my outlook on tennis back home," said Eala.
Eala posted on her social media accounts a letter from King alongside their photo.
The letter read: "Dear Alex, thank you for participating in the Billie Jean King Power Hour and sharing your excitement about being a part of the WTA. We look forward to seeing you achieve your full potential. Kind regards, Billie Jean King."
The interaction did not stop there as King replied on her Instagram story, "So special to spend time with you today."
"I really appreciate the insight and advice you gave us" was Eala's response.
Former World No. 1 Billie Jean King responds to Alex Eala's Instagram story.
Eala scored twin victories in the W100 Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain, ruling both singles and doubles in the ITF tournament last July. After a possible stint in the US Open, the 19-year-old Filipina ace, who trains with the Rafa Nadal Academy, heads to the Guadalajara Open in Mexico, a WTA125 event set Sept. 2 to 8.