To much applause, Alex Eala received her Rafa Nadal Academy (RNA) high school diploma then posed onstage with two of her favorite tennis champions, 22-time grand slam winner Rafael Nadal and reigning Roland Garros titlist Iga Swiatek.

The 18-year-old Filipino was all smiles as she was greeted by the Spanish legend and Polish WTA World No. 1 during the graduation ceremony on Wednesday at the RNA indoor hard courts in Nadal’s hometown of Manacor in Mallorca.

Before the RNA founder congratulated the students and teachers, he started his speech by addressing the families of the graduates.

“I can’t thank enough all the families who trust in us and give us the most important thing in their lives, their kids. I know how difficult that is. I became a father a few months ago for the first time and after that, you understand a lot of things. So I can understand how difficult it is to be away from the persons that you love the most. So thank you very much for the confidence, for the trust in us, and for believing in our school,” said the former ATP World No. 1 Nadal.

In 2018, Eala and her older brother Miko made the big move from the Philippines to Spain after being awarded RNA scholarships.

Miko graduated in 2020, and proceeded to play in the United States NCAA Division 1 for Pennsylvania State University. The 20-year-old has won two ITF junior singles titles.

• How Alex Eala became a world-class tennis champion

As for the younger Eala, she collected three grand slams: the 2020 Australian Open girls’ doubles title, 2021 Roland Garros girls’ doubles championship, and 2022 US Open girls’ singles crown.

The former Juniors World No. 2 has won thrice on the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour at the 2021 W15 Manacor, 2022 W25 Chiang Rai in Thailand, and 2023 W25 Yecla in Spain.

She studied at the Rafa Nadal International School from Grade 8 to Grade 11, then transferred to online private school and RNA education partner Laurel Springs for her senior year because she was competing full-time on the professional level.

The World No. 228 achieved a career-best ranking of 214th in October, making her the highest-ranked Filipino singles netter in WTA history.

Meanwhile, guest of honor Swiatek encouraged the 50 RNA graduates from the Class of 2023 to be tenacious.

She cited the quote “Victory belongs to the most tenacious” that can be found on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the center court of Roland Garros in Paris which Nadal conquered 14 times and Swiatek ruled thrice.

The 22-year-old Polish superstar then praised her idol Nadal for his absolute tenacity that has greatly motivated her to improve on her game and mentality.

The iconic Spaniard, 37, also congratulated Swiatek on winning her fourth grand slam crown just a few days ago in France, and lauded Roland Garros men’s champion Novak Djokovic for achieving his 23rd slam conquest.

• Alex Eala's 2023 goals: WTA Tour and senior high graduation

Nadal told Swiatek that it was a “huge privilege” to have her at the RNA graduation, and commended her for being an inspiration to the youth.

“I hope no matter what you’re gonna do in the future years, if you’re gonna give 100 percent, if you’re gonna actually dedicate your focus, your time to do it the best way possible, no matter what the result is gonna be, I’m pretty sure you’ll have no regrets at the end,” Swiatek told the graduates.

As she was about to wrap up her speech, Swiatek mentioned that graduating from high school was “really satisfying and fulfilling.”

She went on to ask if she could borrow a hat because she only had an online graduation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Swiatek put on the hat and took the empty seat next to Eala, and they were beside each other as they stood, moved the graduation tassel from right to left, and tossed their hats in the air in jubilation.

In 2021, Eala got to practice with Swiatek at the Miami Open in Florida.

According to Eala's blog on the ITF website, their one-hour practice session turned out to be a “tremendous learning experience.”

She continued: “Iga is super nice, super humble and really funny… Iga is someone whose past I can relate to and hopefully I am on track to emulate her. I definitely see her as an example to follow."

Just like Swiatek, the Filipino teenage champion idolizes Nadal.

“He’s a very good role model, and something a lot of people should idolize and try to be,” Eala said during her post-final press conference at the 2022 US Open Juniors.

“The biggest thing I notice in Rafa is how he fights till the end, and how his thoughts are so clear. He’s so calm, but at the same time, so fired up. So I think I really tried to channel that energy during this whole week,” she said of her junior singles slam title breakthrough in New York.

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