The 19-year-old tennister Alex Eala is a graduate of the Spanish hitter’s Rafael Nadal Academy in Spain.
Philippine tennis sensation Alex Eala honored Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal following the latter’s retirement from the sport on Wednesday.
Eala, 19, is a graduate of Nadal’s Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain where the 22-time Grand Slam Champion was among those who believed in Eala’s potential early, training her both in tennis and schooling.
Amid her ongoing tournament in Japan, Eala posted a message on social media to honor Nadal.
“Thank you Rafa! You’ve influenced me in more ways than you know. You have set up unbelievable opportunities for me and countless other kids, and for that I am so grateful,” wrote Eala.
Apart from training under RNA, Eala has had numerous encounters with Nadal himself.
Among those encounters included watching Nadal’s training and the 38-year-old personally congratulating Eala during her career milestones early on.
Eala’s older brother Miko was also a product of the Rafa Nadal Academy and played NCAA Division 1 tennis with Penn State University.
Nadal retired on Tuesday after a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands at the Davis Cup.
Among his 22 grand slams, 14 of them were won at the French Open — the most ever in Roland Garros.
He began his pro career in 2001 — four years before Eala was even born — and went on to play for more than two decades.
Aside from his grand slams, Nadal is also a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and a four-time winner of the Davis Cup with Spain.
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