Rising star Alexandra Eala opens up about surprise message from Nadal ahead of clay season

Alexandra Eala emerged as one of the standout stories of the 2025 Miami Open. The 19-year-old reached the semifinals, where she fell to Jessica Pegula, becoming the first Filipino player to reach that stage at a WTA 1000 event. Following her historic run, Eala revealed that she received a special message from none other than Rafael Nadal.

“Rafa messaged me,” Eala said during an appearance on Power and Play. “It was the first time he ever messaged me personally, so that was a shock to see. Funny story, I only saw it a couple of days later. It was exciting to see his notification.”

Nadal, who had publicly congratulated Eala after her performance, has a personal connection to the young star. She graduated from his tennis academy in Mallorca. Ranked No. 140 entering the tournament, Eala’s semifinal run propelled her to a new career-high of world No. 75, making her the first Filipino woman to break into the WTA top 100.

The 2022 US Open girls’ singles champion claimed several high-profile wins en route to the Miami semis, defeating Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, Paula Badosa, and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. Her breakthrough performance has firmly placed her among the rising names to watch on the WTA Tour.

Alexandra Eala during the Miami Open (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Eala on her growth in the past week

Speaking further about her development, Eala credited steady improvement across different areas of her game. “I think I’ve been improving for a while [on] my serve, my fitness, the quality of my shots, how to build a point,” she said.

“It took me a while to really mesh those things together and make it come out during the matches. But as you can see, when I’m playing well, the level is really there,” she added.

Reflecting on the confidence she gained in Miami, she added: “I feel this week is really going to help with the trust I have in myself and in my game. When I need to go for those big points, I believe I have the level to do so.”

What’s next: Eala’s clay-court schedule

Eala is set to begin her clay-court season at the WTA 125 tournament in Oeiras, Portugal, which starts on April 14. She will then head to the WTA 1000 event in Madrid on April 22, followed by the WTA 1000 in Rome, scheduled for May 6–18.

However, if she is eliminated early in Madrid, she could enter in the WTA 125 in Victoria (Spain). Meanwhile, if she doesn’t make it in Rome, she also has the chance to enter in the WTA 125 in Parma.