Rafael Nadal personally reached out to Alexandra Eala during the 19-year-old's sensational Miami Open run but didn't get a response back for a couple of days because the rising star didn't notice the message instantly.
The 19-year-old, who graduated from the RafaNadal Academy two years ago, became the first Filipina to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal in Miami and also the first player from her country to break into the top-100. And all of that came after she received a wildcard and beat several Grand Slam champions - Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek. She also had wins over Paula Badosa and Katie Volynets before Jessica Pegula ended her run in the semifinal.
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When checking her phone and the DMs she received, Eala realized that Nadal was among those who congratulated her personally. And while she was thrilled about that, she also realized that the message was there for some time before she read it.
Rafa messaged me. It was the first time he ever messaged me personally so I think that was a shock to see. Funny story, I only saw it like a couple of days after checking my phone It was exciting to see his notification," the 19-year-old said on the Philippine show Power and Play.
Nadal congratulated Eala twice publicly
After the Filipina upset 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko, the Spanish tennis icon reacted through X: "Congratulations Alex! What a great win for you and for [the Philippines]."
Several days later after Eala caused another massive upset and ousted five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek 6-2 7-5, Nadal sent out another public message to the new WTA world No. 73.
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"We are extremely proud of you, Alex. What an incredible tournament! Lets keep dreaming!" the former 22-time Grand Slam champion wrote.
