Seed planted
Excellence does not come overnight in competitive sports. Long periods of time are spent along with substantial amounts of resources. Literally and figuratively, blood, sweat and tears are a given. Yes, fame and fortune come in, especially if you’re a crooked politician, but all things considered, it’s never easy being a top athlete.
By now, we should be familiar with Alex Eala’s rise to stardom. From “ruffled to socks, light-up shoes and chubby cheeks”, Nike signed her in 2019 during her junior year and has now become a global brand ambassador. But some tasteless individuals tried to link her color of choice to the camp of a jet-setting you-know-who presidential wannabe. At just 21-years-old, the eloquent Filipina has risen to WTA star status, with the habit of making energetic comebacks.
Her conquest of top seeds from two years past could be considered upsets, but now, it’s getting to be a routine. Playing the tennis of her young life, Eala has landed with a bang on the women’s circuit and is getting to be among the best in women’s tennis.
If you get positive feedback from legends of the sport, definitely a mark has been made. Boris Becker said that there is a generational shift on the women’s tour, noting Eala’s aggression and fearlessness. Martina Navratilova praised her technical knowledge of the game and suggested improvement in her serves, as being left-handed will be very advantageous.
Greg Rusedski, a former British pro and during his prime had a powerful left-handed serve, echoed Navratilova’s assessment. He said she has everything in her game except a strong serve. Rusedski added that because of the way she plays, Eala has become the most exciting player on the WTA Tour (along with captive kababayan supporters on the stands) and is a dark horse in the coming US Open. I hope so.
The impressive runs at Wimbledon and Washington, DC now placed Eala in the top 20 of the WTA rankings, the highest ever for a full-blooded Filipino, male or female. Nike said, “Every dream begins as a seed. Once it grows, it cannot be stopped. Kapag lumago, hindi na hihinto.” Indeed, a seed, of the Alex Eala variety, had been planted. Unlike the seed that bore nepo babies cultivated by ill-gotten wealth
At least Eala had given us reason to be afloat despite the waterworld Metro Cebu experienced in the past days. On cue, the head of the public works agency flew in from Manila and made site inspections of flood mitigation projects with the usual ramblings. Solutions? Your guess is as good as mine.
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