Rafa Nadal Academy star Alexandra Eala and her father cherish 'lifetime experience' as Filipina takes on prestigious role at SEA ceremony

Alexandra Eala, the 20-year-old Filipina WTA sensation mentored by the legendary Rafael Nadal, recently participated in the opening ceremony of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, the 33rd edition of the prestigious sporting event. Later, Eala and her father Mike both laid bare their emotions at the youngster proudly bearing the flag of the Philippines.

On Tuesday, December 9, Eala was one of the Philippines' flag-bearers during the opening ceremony at Bangkok's Rajamangala National Stadium. Following the conclusion of the ceremony, the World No. 52 in women's singles tennis who briefly broke into the WTA top 50 earlier this year, told POC Media:

"It was surreal! I think it was just good vibes to be with the whole delegation, and I am so blessed. It’s an experience of a lifetime."

Subsequently, Alexandra Eala's father Mike, who was in attendance for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games' opening ceremony, spoke up about the "dream come true" moment for the entire Eala family, saying:

"It was a dream since she was a kid to see her carry the national colors. It’s a dream come true. I am speechless."

The Philippines' national tennis team, led by Alexandra Eala, is slated to begin its campaign at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games on Wednesday, December 10.

Eala was born and raised in Philippines' Quezon City, but eventually moved to Spain to hone her tennis skills. Here, she became a student at the famed Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor. In 2023, she completed her graduation from the academy.

Alexandra Eala recently practiced with Rafael Nadal

Alexandra Eala in action at the 2025 Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open (Source: Getty)

In November this year, Alexandra Eala spent around 45 minutes practicing with her mentor, the now-retired Rafael Nadal. On the back of the hitting session, the legendary Spaniard, a former No. 1 and a 22-time singles Major champion, took to Instagram and posted a video featuring some glimpses from their practice session. Nadal captioned the post:

"One year later, it felt great to be back on a tennis court. It was great to practice with you, Alex. Next time, I will be stronger."

Later, in an interview, the Spaniard revealed that he had agreed to hit with Eala based on the condition that he wouldn't have to run too much during the session.

"I played 45 minutes with Eala, they asked me to play and I was happy to do it. If I don’t have to run, that’s fine," Nadal told Movistar+.

2025 turned out to be Alexandra Eala's breakthrough year on the WTA Tour, while for her mentor Rafael Nadal, it was his first year in retirement following his emotional farewell to the sport at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.