Filipina tennis star Alex Eala is carrying more than just her racket onto Wimbledon’s Centre Court—she’s bringing a symbol of home with her.
On Instagram, the 19-year-old athlete shared a touching photo of a white hair tie adorned with a sampaguita, the national flower of the Philippines, gifted by Nike. Eala wrote, “Sampaguita — the flower of my country. A reminder of where I come from – and everything that brought me here.”
She continued in Filipino, “Ang sampaguita ay paalala ng aking pinanggalingan at ng kulturang lagi kong dala-dala.” Expressing gratitude, she said, “Bitbit ko sa bawat galaw,” noting how she carries her heritage with her onto Wimbledon’s biggest stage.
Eala’s post has resonated widely, amassing over 70,000 likes and 1,280 encouraging comments.
The tribute comes on the heels of Eala’s impressive run to the Eastbourne Open finals in June. Despite a tough loss to Maya Joint in a thrilling three-set match (4-6, 6-1, 6[10]-7[12]), the young athlete soared to a career-high WTA ranking of No. 56.
She’s now set for a high-stakes showdown against defending Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in the tournament’s opening round—a matchup she’s called her “dream match.”