Days after her Asian Games bronze, Alex Eala is already turning the page — and heading back to the WTA Tour's Asian swing.
"At the end of the day, being a professional tennis player and a competitive tennis player, losing is part of the job and losing is always a possibility," Eala said in Nagoya, Philstar reports.
"That's what makes tennis so difficult. That's what makes tennis so exciting – you never know what's going to happen and you can't let your guard down," the world No. 18 added. "I think that also contributes to my pursuit for excellence and my pursuit for the best version of myself."
The top seed settled for bronze after a semifinal loss to China's Wang Xiyu. Eala said she was "even more happy that tennis is leveling up in the Philippines," PhilSTAR L!fe reports.
She also had someone to thank. Eala was named to TIME100 Next this week, and Rafael Nadal himself penned her feature. Eala is a product of the Mallorca-based Rafa Nadal Academy founded by the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
"I'm so incredibly honored, and even more so that Rafa… Rafa himself, I guess, wrote a piece and took the time to do that for me. I'm so incredibly thankful to Time and to Rafa," Eala said.
Next up is the Wuhan Open, a WTA 1000 event, from Oct. 12 to 18. After that comes the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, a WTA 500, from Oct. 26 to Nov. 1. Eala is on the initial entry list there, though seeding and draws have not yet been released.
Follow Rally's Alex Eala hub for verified results and schedule updates.
