Four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters has stressed the importance of Alex Eala being “protected” as she described the WTA star as being “like Michael Jordan in the Philippines.”
Eala has risen to superstar status in the Philippines after her rapid rise and trailblazing tennis achievements for her home nation in the past year.
During her breakout 2025 season, Eala became the first player in her country’s history to: be ranked in the top 100, beat a top five player, reach a WTA Tour final, win a WTA Challenger title and win a Grand Slam main draw match.
The 20-year-old is at a career-high ranking of world No 31 after reaching quarter-finals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi during the WTA’s Middle East swing this month.
The Filipina has received staggering support from her compatriots in 2026, with her matches at the Australian Open, her home event in Manila, and the Dubai Championships drawing particularly huge crowds.
On the latest episode of her Love All podcast, Clijsters spoke about the challenges that come with Eala’s immense popularity after she “got a lot of hate” following her opening round Australian Open exit.
“Having that support, we saw it this year after the Australian Open where Rafa [Nadal] spoke out about being a little bit of a protector for her as well, because when she lost to Alycia Parks at the Australian Open in a close three-setter, she also got a lot of hate from her fans and from the Philippine world, and the fans that support her from her home country,” said the Belgian great.
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“So there’s a lot of new things that she’s dealing with at such a young age. She’s been in Spain for many years since I think she was 13 — she moved to Spain and trained at Rafa’s academy.
“She’s been around people with a mindset that demands a lot but is also very focused on: you have to put in the work, you are respectful.
“And she’s been around that environment, and I think there’s no coincidence that she has the results that she has.
“But I think it’s very important for her to be a little bit protected from the craziness that comes with that all as well. And just the ability to keep focusing on what she has to do.”
The former world No 1 added: “[She has to] deal with this life of being like Michael Jordan in the Philippines.
“People just think it’s online and it’s in the news and everything, but it’s not easy, I think, to deal with changes like that, so quickly.”
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