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Nike Sends Sentimental Gift To Filipina Tennis Player Alex Eala Before Wimbledon Debut

Wendi Oliveros Written by Sports EditorWendi Oliveros
Updated –
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20-year-old Alex Eala is only days removed from an emotional loss to Maya Joint at the Lexus Eastbourne Open.  Eala had six match points and could not convert.  After the match, she mentioned how important it is for her to carry the hopes and dreams of her country, the Philippines, who has never had a professional tennis player compete at this level.

With that in mind, Nike’s gift to Eala is especially meaningful as she steps on to Wimbledon’s Center Court for her main draw debut against defending champion Barbora Krejcikova.

What Nike Gave Alex Eala

Nike gifted Alex Eala a sampaguita hair tie.  The sampaguita is the national flower of the Philippines. With the flower hair tie, Nike included a note in the native Filipino language of Tagalog. The note is translated to read: “If you plant, you will harvest.”

The message could be interpreted many ways especially since Wimbledon is the only grass court Grand Slam of the season, and Eala is about to play on its biggest stage, Center Court.

Alex Eala Has Defeated Grand Slam Champions

Those who think Eala lacks the experience to beat Krejcikova should think back to her mesmerizing Miami Open run earlier this year.  She defeated three Grand Slam champions, Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek, en route to the semifinals.

Krejcikova is the favorite; however, she was recently injured and retired during the Queen’s Club Championships.  Eala has shown that she can play on grass despite confessing that the hardcourt is her favorite surface.

Kudos to Nike for recognizing the importance of Eala’s heritage and the magnitude of this moment in her young career at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships.

Watch Eala take on Krejcikova and all of the Wimbledon first round action on ESPN and ESPN+.

Wendi Oliveros Written by Sports EditorWendi Oliveros
Wendi Oliveros is a diehard tennis fan that is known to set her clock at ridiculous hours to watch live action especially during the Australian Open. She is known for indulging in strawberries and cream during Wimbledon and has watched the US Open live several times.
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