Rising star Alex Eala has spoken of the positive impact of having Toni Nadal in her corner after she spent some time being mentored by him in Mallorca.
The 20-year-old is one of the most notable alumni of the Rafa Nadal Academy but even after graduating in 2023, she continues to visit the centre in order to train under the watchful eye of the Nadals.
Recently, she has had Toni Nadal watching on and spoke of her admiration for the coach.
“It’s fantastic, and I feel truly privileged to have Toni as part of my team,” she said. “If you had told me this years ago, I would have completely lost my mind; I wouldn’t have believed you.
“It’s fantastic: he has that knowledge and is able to help my team immensely, bringing all the necessary experience.”
Eala begins her clay swing in Austria on Tuesday where she will face local hero Julia Grabher, but the Filipina has been backed to be even stronger on the new surface than her hard court form.
Former world No 4 Greg Rusedski said on his Off Court With Greg Rusedski podcast that her academy training may give her the edge.
“She’s like Manny Pacquiao, and they’re always so hungry for a new superstar [in the Philippines],” said the 1997 US Open runner-up.
“She’s a lovely girl, she’s been at the Rafael Nadal Academy for multiple years. We talked about the serve getting better.
“It’s gonna be harder for people to hit a hole through her [on clay], it’s gonna be much more physically combative.
“Being at the academy with Rafa on clay, he’s spent a lot of time with her, so she knows what to do.
“I’d love to see her in the top 20; she is great for the WTA. We need more stars, we need more names, and we need new people. And she opens up a marketplace, and people just love her.
“Anywhere around the world where there are people from the Philippines, they’re always talking about her: ‘What meal can I cook for her? What can I do?’
“Automatically, her matches sell out, and for me, she is a huge, huge positive. I’d love to see her, on this surface, crack the top 20 in the world.”
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