Slam singles title only a matter of time for Eala

Alex Eala (right) celebrates winning the French Open girls’ doubles crown. —AFP

With Wimbledon beckoning, top Filipino tennis player Alex Eala vowed not to get carried away with her desire to win her first grand slam singles title.

Already the most accomplished Filipino in junior tennis with two grand slam doubles crowns, Eala said the important thing for her is to level up her game and see where it gets her.

“I understand that singles is more popular but also, in my opinion, a lot harder,” said the 16-year-old Eala on Saturday in an online press conference.

“I’m joining a lot of slams in the future. I try not to focus so much on the results, if I improve enough, if I work hard enough, then winning the slam will come as a consequence of my hard work,” she added.

Before her maiden Wimbledon appearance, Eala will see action in the J1 Roehampton next week, a precursor for the All England meet.

Expected to be seeded second, Eala said she has been training on hard courts, which, according to her, is closest to the grass courts of Roehampton and Wimbledon.

“I will stay with my game, I won’t change my game because the surface changed,” said the lefty baseline grinder, who with Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva recently won the French Open girls doubles.

Good days, bad days

But unlike last year when she made the semifinals of singles in Roland Garros, Eala crashed in the opening round this time.

“As a tennis player, I’m aware that there will be good days and bad days,” she said. “The important thing is to stay positive and have the right people pushing me.’

Ranked 624 in women’s and No. 3 in juniors, Eala continues to raise the roof for Philippine tennis. The Rafael Nadal Academy scholar already won a women’s title early this year, and last year captured the Australian girls doubles crown with Indonesian Priska Nugroho.

“I’m super motivated playing in Wimbledon; this is my favorite slam,” she said. “But I will just get there and play and not expect anything and take it match after match.”

She knows she need not fret over when she’ll win a singles crown in the majors. Because with her iron-willed attitude—and level of game she’s playing—a title is only a matter of time. INQ