Alex Eala Just Made The TIME100 Next 2026 List—Complete With The Sweetest Tribute From Rafael Nadal

Alex Eala is officially adding another major international recognition to her growing list of career milestones. The Filipino tennis star has been named to TIME100 Next 2026, and her inclusion comes with a very iconic co-sign: her tribute was written by tennis legend Rafael Nadal.

TIME100 Next recognizes rising figures who are shaping the future across sports, culture, entertainment, business, and other fields. For Alex, the recognition comes after a major stretch in her tennis career that has seen her make history for the Philippines.

Rafael's connection to Alex goes back to her time training at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where he has followed her career since she was just starting out.

In his TIME100 Next tribute, he also shared a pretty sweet detail about their relationship: Alex was the first(!) player he shared a tennis court with after his retirement. 🥹

"One day, she asked whether I felt like hitting with her for a while," he wrote. "For the first time in many months, I picked up a racket and played again."

Rafael then went on to highlight some of the biggest moments of her career, including her breakout performance at the 2025 Miami Open, where she defeated three Grand Slam champions at just 19 years old. In 2026, she won at the Mubadala DC Open, becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA 500 title, before becoming the first Filipino—and Southeast Asian—player to break into the world's top 20 ranking.

For Rafael, though, Alex's success isn't only about the trophies and rankings. He pointed to her ability to listen, learn, and continue improving as one of her biggest strengths.

"One of her greatest strengths is precisely her ability to listen, learn, and keep improving," he wrote.

He also praised Alex for remaining "warm, approachable, and humble" as her profile continues to grow. He also noted that becoming a "true phenomenon" at such a young age isn't easy and credited her for keeping her feet on the ground through it all.

Alex has had a pretty major year both on and off the court. Aside from becoming the first Filipina to win a WTA 500 title and breaking into the Top 20 rankings, she also had a deep run at this year's Wimbledon, making it to the fourth round and defeating defending 2025 champion Iga Swiatek along the way. She also picked up a WTA 125 title at the Lexus Birmingham Open in June, before most recently representing the Philippines at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, where she secured a bronze medal after reaching the women's singles semifinals.

She also made her New York Fashion Week debut in September, attending the Tory Burch, Michael Kors, and Calvin Klein shows after her US Open run.