It is not often you see players from the Philippines turning heads in the tennis world and, although it is very early to get excited, Alexandra Eala looks set for a stellar career. At least it would appear that way judging by the results the 14-year-old Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar player is producing this season.

In fact, she was part of a historic achievement for the Philippines. The country had not been represented in the girls’ draw at a World Junior Tennis Finals since 1993 and in August of this year in Prostejov (Czech Republic) she and her team finished in fifth place, eventually losing two ties against the two teams that would eventually meet in the final: USA and the Czech Republic.

After this team success, Eala started her preparations for the US Open Junior tournament, where she produced some wonderful tennis in her qualifying matches to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time in the category. She also won a match in the main draw at Flushing Meadows against the Australian Annerly Poulos 6-1, 6-2, but Thai player Mai Napatt Nirundorn then put an end to her adventure in New York. However, in the doubles she notched up another victory alongside Elina Kalieva, also a Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar player.

Her solid performances on the hard courts of the USA gave the Filipino a huge confidence boost. From the Big Apple she travelled with her Rafa Nadal Academy coach Daniel Rocha to Stellenbosch (South Africa) to play in an ITF Junior Grade 2 tournament, where she reached the semi-finals and fell at the last hurdle for the doubles title, playing with Kalieva again.

But her biggest moment came a week later in Cape Town (South Africa). This time, in a Grade A tournament, Alexandra Eala took the individual spoils and reached the semi-finals in the doubles. It was the just reward for her new-found confidence and some outstanding tennis. However, the success did not stop there. While September was a certainly a month to remember, she managed to maintain her form in October.

She brought her game from South Africa to Osaka (Japan) last week, where she was back in competition on the ITF Junior Tour in another Grade A category tournament. On the Japanese hard court she produced some solid and aggressive tennis, as well as improving on her serve, combining sliced backhands with the nerve to pull off some drop shots. She reached another final and only a more experienced player three years her elder, the French Diane Parry, was able to keep her hands off the trophy. “Although her play was already very good at previous tournaments, in Japan she produced a more solid and aggressive game, demonstrating huge improvements on her serve, her backhand slice and her drop shots” explained Rafa Nadal Academy coach Daniel Gómez.

The results have not come as a surprise. Eala was already showing promise a few years back, and she already won Les Petits As in Tarbes and reached the final of the Orange Bowl Under-12. After a period recharging her batteries, she will be ready to travel again next month to Miami to battle for the title there. Given the hard work she has put in, there is no reason she cannot dream of more success. And as the Filipino proverb goes: “If you persevere, you will reap the fruits of your labour”.

It was only a question of time... and mathematics. Rafa Nadal’s great season, in which he has reached at least the semi-finals in every tournament he has played in –except for Acapulco (9/10)- means he has led the Race to London from very early on. So much so that before the start of last week’s ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai, the Spaniard was 1,460 points ahead of Novak Djokovic, who occupies second position.

To get back to the pinnacle of the ATP Tour, all he needed was for the numbers to come together. And everything lined up for him at the last tournament of the Asian swing, where his rival for finishing the season in the world number one spot lost his quarter-final clash to Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Serb needed to defend the title he won in Shanghai last year, so the points he lost (from 1,000 to 180) and Djokovic’s confirmation that he will next take to the court at the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris, tipped the numbers in Nadal’s favour.

If the Serbian is true to his word and does not play another tournament until the indoor event in the French capital, the player from Manacor will get back the world no. 1 spot on 4 November. It would be his eight period of his professional career at the pinnacle of the men’s international circuit and it would also be the Spanish player’s tenth time at the top of the world ranking.

Regardless of what happens at the final tournament of the regular season in Paris, the Spaniard will occupy the top spot for at least two weeks, until the ATP Finals are held in London, where the king of 2019 will be determined. If he achieves his goal, he will add his fifth number-1 cup to the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience to go alongside those he collected in 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2017.

With his titles this year at the French and US Opens, he is now just one Grand Slam title behind Roger Federer and closer than ever to becoming the player with the most trophies in the category in history. In addition, the ATP Masters 1000 trophies he won in Rome and Canada also make him, with four victories, the most successful player of 2019, alongside Djokovic, Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev. However, the Balearic Islander has only played in ten tournaments.

There is also a new challenge on the horizon: reaching his 200th week as world number one. Whatever happens, he will pick up two more, taking him to 196 since he first reached the position on 18 August 2008. More than ten years later, he is sixth on the all-time list of players that have spent most time at the peak of the ATP Ranking and this season he will be fighting to finish the year as number one for the fifth time, with only Pete Sampras (6) having done so more often. All of this is the result of another stunning season in which Nadal will also return to the world number one spot.

Just two days after leading team Europe in the Laver Cup, world tennis legend Björn Borg has visited the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar for the first time. During his three-day stay, the ex-world number 1 and winner of 11 Grand Slams also had the chance to enjoy the facilities at the Rafa Nadal Sports Centre.

“I’m very happy to have come to the Rafa Nadal Academy. I’d heard good things about this place, but spending three days here has confirmed it, it’s incredible. I have really enjoyed myself. I would invite you all to come and see it and to play here. The quality of the training is very good and I think they’ve done a great job. This is why my son has come here, I’m very happy about that and I hope that many others come in the future because the Academy is very good”, said the six-time French Open champion.

His son, Leo Borg, who is currently training at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar for a few weeks, is considered (at just 16 years of age) to be one of the young promises of Swedish tennis and one of the players destined to lead the new generation of tennis in his country.

During his stay, Björn Borg visited the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience, where he was able to see the titles collected by Rafa throughout his career. “I’m in his zone, but also in mine”, he joked as he entered the area dedicated to the French Open.

Borg donated a shirt signed by all the players on the European Laver Cup team. The shirt, signed by Nadal, Federer, Thiem, Zverev, Fognini, Tsitsipas and Borg himself will be on display soon in the museum alongside a racquet from the competition donated by Roger Federer.

“It was a pleasure to coach the European team again, who did well as usual. Now back from Geneva, coming here to Manacor and seeing the Museum and everything he has achieved in his life is very beautiful”, stated Björn Borg.

Players of over 40 nationalities live together at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar. All of them regularly compete in tournaments in different categories, fighting for their individual interests, but over the coming weeks they will be enjoying a unique experience.

To encourage teamwork and to see in the new Davis Cup competition format, for 3 weeks the players will be taking part in a very special tournament (the RNA Davis Cup) in which they will represent their countries, playing ties in exactly the same format as that which will take place in Madrid (two singles and one doubles).

The climax of the event will take place on 3 October, when the finals of the RNA Davis Cup will be played in the presence of Albert Costa, Director of the Davis Cup by Rakuten Madrid Finals. After the matches, which will be played at the Academy, the 2002 French Open champion and winner of the 2000 Davis Cup will explain the new format of the competition to the players and present the winners with a very special prize; a trip to the Caja Mágica to watch the tie between Spain and Croatia on 19 November.

Albert Costa will also take advantage of his visit to the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar to visit the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience, which houses the 4 Davis Cups won by Spain in which Rafa played a leading role (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011). In November, Nadal will be fighting to lift his fifth salad bowl, for which Spain will have to come through the group stage, where they will take on Medvedev and Khachanov’s Russia and Cilic and Coric’s Croatia.

And in order to support and cheer on Rafa in person, all Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar followers can enjoy a 15% discount on the purchase of Davis Cup by Rakuten Madrid Finals tickets by using the code RNATENNIS.