Philippine tennis sensation Alex Eala admits that traveling as a Filipino athlete comes with its cons — especially when it comes to flexibility.
There is much to gain as a Filipino athlete for the likes of those who compete abroad, much like tennis rising star Alex Eala.
But on the flip side, there are also extreme challenges.
For Eala, who is based in Mallorca, Spain, traveling with her Philippine passport has been quite the unique struggle, especially when she needs to get to countries where she has to apply for visas.
Among the weakest passports in the world, the Philippine passport is just 75th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
With more and more opportunities coming for Eala, especially after her semifinals run at the Miami Open, the 19-year-old will continue to need balancing her time in getting the needed visas to get into her competitions.
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As an elite athlete who needs all her attention on the game, working on visas gets distracting at times.
“You know, what's challenging is being able to travel flexibly, with flexibility,” Eala told Philippine media in a press conference on Tuesday.
“For me, I find [it] challenging [with] the visas, being able to plan. Because as a tennis player, you need to be very flexible with your schedule, you're going to make a lot of last minute choices. And it doesn't allow you time to organize all of this, you know, every single time to have the visas ready. So that's what I find challenging.”
When traveling with a Philippine passport, Eala can only travel visa-free into 64 countries, which is relatively weak compared to others. Alex's visa dilemmas are also nothing new to Filipino athletes trying their luck abroad.
Of note that golfer Yuka Saso, who previously represented the Philippines in the LPGA, switched citizenships when she came of age to Japan primarily due to the strength of the passport, which allows her to travel to more countries.
Eala, an athlete yet to reach the peak of her career, is encountering similar challenges to Saso which caused her to switch sides.
But for the Rafa Nadal Academy scholar, there is a bigger and more impactful pro when it comes to being a Filipino athlete, and that is the support of her countrymen.
Even during her semis run in Miami, Eala felt the love of Filipinos — both of whom are already based in the States, and those who even flew out to witness her win.
[READ: Alex Eala looks back on Cinderella run in Miami Open: ‘I’m proud of myself’]
For the now world no. 73, there is nothing like the Filipino community, and it all makes it worth it.
“The best thing about being a Filipino athlete, of course, is the support and the Pinoys. Because you cannot find that kind of community anywhere else, in my opinion,” said Eala.
“The love and the support, you know, this past month [in Miami] is a testament to that,” she added.
At the moment, Eala is preparing for the clay season in RNA before she heads to Portugal for the Oeiras Ladies Open, which begins next week.