Adults 
Tournaments 
Annual Program 
Facilities 
About us 
International 
Alex Eala’s ‘Dream Come True’: Her First Training Session with Rafa Nadal
Editorial RNA
Exactly one year after Rafa Nadal played the final match of his career in the Davis Cup, the Rafa Nadal Academy experienced one of its most special days in Manacor, as Rafa shared the court for the first time with Alex Eala, one of the standout players in women’s tennis.
The Filipina player, who has been training at the Academy since 2018 and enjoyed a major breakthrough season in 2025, described the experience as “a dream come true.” “Training with Rafa is something people and kids can only dream of. It was an incredible pleasure to share the court with him,” she said, also highlighting the valuable technical tips Nadal gave her during the session.
The meeting came at the end of the best year of her career, with Eala now firmly established inside the Top 50 after achieving milestones such as her first WTA title in Guadalajara, reaching the final in Eastbourne, and recording her first main-draw win at a Grand Slam at the US Open.
Eala did not hesitate to describe 2025 as “the best year of my sporting life,” pointing to the Miami Open as the key turning point that sparked her rise in the rankings. She also underlined the challenge of managing new experiences while competing at an increasingly demanding level—an evolution that has allowed her to grow both on and off the court.
Eala did not hesitate to describe 2025 as “the best year of my sporting life,” pointing to the Miami Open as the key turning point that sparked her rise in the rankings. She also underlined the challenge of managing new experiences while competing at an increasingly demanding level—an evolution that has allowed her to grow both on and off the court.
The player also marks the Eastbourne or Guadalajara tournaments as one of the key moments of the season, where she was a finalist and savored her first WTA title, respectively, due to the physical and environmental difficulties. ‘They were two very different weeks for me, but in both I obtained very good results and I am very happy with them. I was able to overcome many challenges day by day, both because of the environment and because of how I felt physically. So I am very satisfied with those weeks.’
You might also be interested in
Join our community!
Stay up to date with the best of tennis and enjoy exclusive promotions and events at the Rafa Nadal Academy. Subscribe!
