Alex Eala on what she's learned in the Rafael Nadal Academy

After becoming the first Filipina to make it into the semis of the 2020 French Open Juniors At Roland Garros in Paris, Alex Eala shared some of the takeaways she has learned training under Rafael Nadal Academy in Manacor, Spain.

In a virtual press conference with the Philippine media, the 15-year-old Filipina Tennis player said there are a lot of things she has learned from the academy — beyond tennis now that she's in her third year with the academy.

"You learn discipline, you learn how to be away from your family, independence and of course you need to work hard. You need to be self-demanding," she said.

"Things like that eventually lead up to the weeks that are gonna matter the most, which are the tournaments I think you develop a lot as a person here," she added.

She said Rafael Nadal Academyis great environment to grow up in, as it recognizes "great people, great coaches, and great staff."

Alex said she's learned a lot, seeing Rafa's training firsthand.

"He is so grounded and he has achieved more than anything I could dream of. And the fact that he is still so nice to everyone around here is very admirable from him," she said.

On Sunday, Philippine Sports Commission issued an erratum after Alex's family denied receiving support from Philippine government.

In the now-deleted post, the PSC on Saturday claimed it provided the Filipino athlete monetary sport, including some P3M for her tournament travels.

But her mom Rizza Maniego-Eala quickly refuted the claims. "PSC post NOT true," began Rizza, saying while they are "thankful to the government," they "have not received any of the funds in the millions of pesos mentioned here in this post."

Alex eventually lost the semifinal match to hometown bet Elsa Jacquemot 6-3, 6-2. — LA, GMA News