Alex Eala Reveals How She Invests Her Tennis Earnings

Fresh off one of the best Grand Slam runs of her career, Alex Eala is already thinking about what’s next—and not only on the tennis court.

Following her historic Round of 16 finish at Wimbledon, the farthest a Filipina has ever advanced at the tournament, Alex returned to Manila, where she attended a media homecoming hosted by Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI). While much of the conversation centered on the milestone that put Philippine tennis in the global spotlight once again, the 21-year-old also offered a glimpse into how she's approaching adulthood, from managing her finances to finding a life beyond competition.

For Alex, one of the biggest lessons she's learned since turning professional is that tournament winnings aren't meant to be spent the moment they arrive.

“My first big investment, in general—not just with my earnings from Wimbledon, but with my earnings in general—is my future,” she says. “So I save a lot of money. I like to be cautious with my money.”

She credits both her parents and the bank for helping her develop healthy financial habits early on. And while fans have joked about the luxury shopping trip she and fellow tennis player Zeynep Sönmez have been teasing—including matching Bottega Veneta bags—Alex says she still takes her time before making those purchases.

“When it comes to, for example, luxury items, I save, and I make smart decisions before I buy a luxury item,” she says. “On other things, I would splurge. When it comes to recovery—physio, I would splurge. Massages, I would splurge. Nutrition, I would splurge. Healthy things, maybe supplements—I won’t skimp on that.

“If I need a doctor’s appointment, if I have to make a long flight and then play maybe the next day or two days after, I'll take business class,” she continues. “Those are the kinds of investments that I put into myself for my future.”

As her career continues to grow, Alex has become more intentional about making room for life outside tennis. This year, she made a conscious effort to build friendships with fellow players on tour, something she now considers one of the highlights of traveling.

“One of my goals at the start of the year was to make more friends on tour, and I think I have super special relationships with some of the girls on tour,” she says. “I love to go out with them when our schedules align. I love to try new places. When I'm traveling a lot, I love to try the food of each country. I've started to read, so I'm trying to tap into different things.”

Even with that balance, however, some routines remain untouchable. “Tennis is a non-negotiable. The gym is a non-negotiable. Proper sleep is a non-negotiable,” she says. “It gets difficult when I change time zones, but I try to fix it on the first day so it becomes a little bit easier. 

“I think the two most important things are food and sleep,” she adds. “I don't have a specific diet or anything, but I do like to eat healthy. And my fitness coach makes sure of that.”

Off the court, another interest has naturally found its way into the conversation: fashion. The tennis player talked about her proclivity for incorporating Filipino elements into her wardrobe, whether it's wearing sampaguita-inspired accessories or donning Filipino designer pieces on global stages.

“On one hand, it is a way for me to pay tribute to my culture, and it's a slight nod to where I come from,” she says. “On the other hand, it's also just because I genuinely think it's really beautiful. When I wore the sampaguita last year, I felt super beautiful. I felt confident on court, and I was ready to play.

She also discussed wearing a modern Filipiniana by her uncle, designer Rhett Eala, at this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards, and hopes to collaborate with local designers on potential on-court wear.

“I would love to collaborate with Filipino designers,” she says. “I would describe my on-court style as... I'm quite girly, I think, but also, in a confident way, a little edgy. I'm still trying to figure it out, but I think it's a beautiful process, and I'm really enjoying it.

“I do love fashion,” she adds. “As I'm growing older and as I have more events to go to, it's something that I've definitely been tapping into. I'm finding my style.”

Of course, success hasn't come without setbacks. Looking back, Alex pointed to last year's Eastbourne final as one of the toughest losses of her career. 

“It showed how difficult that was for me in the post-match interviews and just my initial reactions. But I'm able to look at that match now, and I'm able to smile and laugh, and I'm proud of that whole week,” she says. “I'm proud of myself that I was able to turn that experience into something of fond memories.”

She also acknowledged that some of the hardest defeats happened far from the spotlight.

“I could also say that the toughest losses were the ones where nobody was really watching me. It wasn't in the recent years—just bad losses where you play badly, you just have a bad day, maybe you lose to someone you think you shouldn't have lost to across the net.”

Asked what comes after Wimbledon, Alex said there isn't much time to dwell on the milestone. Her attention has already shifted to the rest of the season.

She'll next compete in the North American hard-court swing leading up to the US Open, the year’s final Grand Slam. Later this year, she'll also turn her focus closer to home as she looks forward to representing the Philippines at the Asian Games.