By MARK REY MONTEJO
Alex Eala is already armed with an explosive left, but beyond that, the country’s tennis ace is also an epitome of beauty and brains as she continues to prove it with her poise and eloquence – like a true beauty queen.
Just like her killer forehand shot, Eala effortlessly handled a barrage of questions from reporters during a homecoming event organized by chief backer Bank of the Philippine Islands on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old Eala caught everyone by surprise when asked by one jaded journalist whether she still have time for love.
Her answer was candid. Direct to the point.
“I love my family so much. I love my job, I love my friends, I love myself, so there’s so much love,” said Eala, who came from a stellar Wimbledon run in London last week.
Before answering the intriguing question about love, the charming lefty first shared how she manages to strike a balance between her demanding career – in the ultra-competitive tennis scene – and personal life.
“Yes, I have a life outside tennis. It’s something I put effort into nurturing, because a lot of the time, especially, when I’m traveling so much for my job,” Eala stressed.
“I’m sure a lot of you can relate that sometimes your career can become your whole life, and the work-life balance becomes imbalanced,” she added.
Now ranked No. 28 in the world, Eala added that one of her ways to cope up with the grueling schedule of a professional tennis player is to build new friendships while on tour.
“But one of my goals that I had at the start of the year is to make more friends on tour, and I think I have super special relationships with some of the girls on tour,” Eala continued.
“I love to go out with them when the schedules align, I love to try new places when I’m traveling a lot, I love to try to go to beach country… so I’m trying to tap into different things,” Eala added.
For now, taking up other sports as a hobby isn’t an option for Eala, who remains fully committed to honing her craft on the tennis court. The 5-foot-9 netter stressed as well that she is still in the process of discovering herself.
Eala is taking a well-deserved hiatus before returning to the US to play in the WTA 500 Mubala DC Open and the 1000 Canadian Open
Cincinnati will be Eala’s third tournament in the North American hard-court swing after the WTA 500 Mubala DC Open in Washington D.C. (July 27 to Aug. 2) and the WTA 1000 National Bank Open (Aug. 1 to 13) in Toronto, Canada.
She is also projected to participate in the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open slated Aug. 8 to 23 in Ohio.
