​Alexandra Eala has been the talk of the tennis world this year, with her rise only continuing to reach levels few could have possibly predicted just a few seasons ago.After spending 2025 impressing but never really coming close to living up to the hype, 2026 has been transformative for the 21-year-old, enjoying her best-ever run at Wimbledon and the US Open whilst also winning her first-ever WTA Tour-level title.Her influence and ability to fill stadiums on her own are unique in this sport, and even more prominent than those of some higher-ranked players in the women’s game.That is why she is deemed so important to the continued progress of the sport, and why her inclusion on TIME’s top 100 most influential rising stars only reinforces that.Alexandra Eala reacts after being named on TIME’s top 100 most influential rising starsWhat was perhaps most special about her name being on this list is the person who wrote a piece on her behalf, justifying her selection.He noted that Alexandra Eala was the first player he hit with following his retirement, and insisted he found himself lucky to have known her for virtually all of her career before listing her recent accomplishments: “This year, she won the WTA 500 tournament, becoming the first player from the Philippines to break into the world’s top 20.”It was what Nadal added afterwards that was perhaps most poignant, though: “And she still has plenty of room to grow. One of her greatest strengths is precisely her ability to listen, learn, and keep improving.“But perhaps more importantly, Alex remains a wonderful person—warm, approachable, and humble. It isn’t easy to handle becoming a true phenomenon at such a young age, and she deserves a lot of credit for keeping her feet on the ground. Now, all that remains is to keep enjoying watching her progress.”Then, speaking to reporters after she collected her Asian Games bronze medal, Eala reacted: “I’m so incredibly honoured, and even more so that Rafa. Rafa himself, I guess, wrote a piece and took the time to do that for me. I’m so incredibly thankful to Time and to Rafa.“But yeah, it’s a very humbling experience to be among, I guess, the list of people who are super inspiring. So I’m very grateful.”This comes after Eala gave her instant reaction to losing at the Asian Games, having initially provided a short, rather sharp interview, but later returned to her usual cheery self.That is exactly what Nadal was referring to when lauding her humility. She appreciates everything about what she does and is fully deserving of her ever-increasing status.