Sweat and tears

Due to time zone differences, many of us have been losing sleep trying to catch the tennis matches of Alex Eala. The whole nation is feeling exuberant as the 21-year-old tennis player scores victory after victory in her latest matches.

This is understandable. Alex has delivered just about the only good news we have had in a long while. In our utterly divisive atmosphere these days, Alex has provided us a reason to be united in celebrating a Filipino victory in a sport that a vast majority of us do not even understand.

Tennis is an elitist sport. Like golf, you need to have lots of money to be able to train well enough to compete on the world stage.

The Ealas belong to our upper-income social class with the resources to decline the lukewarm government offer of support during the Duterte era. They are also well connected enough to snag sponsorships from Globe and BPI in addition to the usual support that sports apparel companies like Nike give.

But that’s just the beginning of the Alex Eala story. There were scions of rich families before her that for a while showed promise in the sport. But none of them had the hunger to be their very best because that entailed more personal sacrifices than they were willing to give.

We are now seeing the victories of Alex and the strong possibility that she may one day become the world’s number one female player. But none of her victories came easy.

What makes Alex outstanding is her determination and sheer perseverance in trying to achieve her goal, even when things are hard. She has had her share of defeats, some heartbreaking, but she simply pushes on and does not give up.

During these particularly difficult times for the Philippines, Alex Eala is teaching Filipinos that having a singular focus on what is important, the courage and determination as well as the ability to cope with stress, and bounce back from defeats will deliver victory in the end.

One of the biggest problems we face as a nation is the incessant noise that we will never be able to become a tiger economy like our neighbors that overtook us. Or crush corruption. The late FVR insisted that “the Filipino can.” But we have given up trying.

Alex also faced early doubts about her talent and ability to break into the big-time tennis tournaments. But she and her parents ignored the noise and stayed focused on achieving her goals. Her current accomplishments have proven naysayers wrong.

Alex also showed how to bounce back from losses. She treats setbacks as part of the learning curve, demonstrating that failure is only a step toward long-term success.

Best of all, she has kept her Filipino identity throughout. Alex started training at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain when she was just 13, for five years. It would have been understandable if she identified as more international than Filipino.

But she said she made efforts to speak Tagalog and be the Filipino that she is. She said she regularly reads Tagalog books, watches Tagalog news broadcasts and listens to Original Pilipino Music.

She has been rewarded by overwhelming support from the Filipino diaspora. They attend her matches and noisily cheer her on. Seasoned tennis players exclaim that the crowd at Alex’s matches are as animated as in basketball games. Organizers say her matches sell out.

Alex’s strong rapport with her fan base is almost unbelievable for a tennis player. It helps that she is seen to play her best in every event and she remains humble in victory and accepts her defeats well. She hasn’t thrown a tennis racket in anger as other tennis stars do.

Alex showed in her climb to the top of world tennis that, as FVR insisted, the Filipino can. We have never doubted that the Filipino is capable of matching the best talents in the world if given the chance. Generations of expat Pinoy doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers and athletes have proven that.

Indeed, even that pasaway character of the Pinoy disappears when abroad. We adapt to well-run systems of governance in countries we have fled to in search of better lives. Yet, we remain our worst selves at home and seem resigned to that, saying, Onli in the Pilipins.

We are so hungry for heroes who have made good internationally. Everything stopped as we watched Manny Pacquiao fights in the past. We cheer for Carlos Yulo who won a historic two gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics. We marveled at the star pole vaulter E.J. Obiena and weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz.

Their victories made headlines and made us proud. But we did not see the sweat and tears they have invested to be the best in their chosen sporting events. They had no easy victories.

Indeed, if we want our nation to be competitive in the race of tiger economies, we have to get our act together the way our champion athletes worked their way to the top.

We also need more effective government support for sports. The little budget that can be spared usually ends up enriching officials.

Athletes complain they don’t get enough nutritious food while in training. And they don’t get the quality of training and coaching necessary to make Alex Ealas. Filipino athletes who have made good have made it on their own with little or no government support.

Alex Eala used grit, mental resilience, a lot of sweat and tears as well as deep national pride to become one of the best tennis players in the world today. If we used the same formula to lift up our nation, we may be surprised at what we are capable of achieving.

The lesson Alex Eala taught us is simple: pwede na yan is never good enough.

Boo Chanco’s email address is [email protected]. Follow him on X @boochanco