One year to the day of his retirement from tennis, Rafael Nadal was back on the tennis court with one of the Hologic WTA Tour’s brightest young stars.
And the former world No. 1 was “back like he never left,” according to World No. 50 Alexandra Eala.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion played his final match on Nov. 19, 2024 at the Davis Cup Finals, and while his practice session with Eala at his bespoke tennis academy had a smaller real-time audience, it was equally meaningful.
“One year later, it felt great to be back on a tennis court,” Nadal wrote on social media, showcasing his practice session with Eala in an Instagram reel and short video to his more than 14 million followers on X, formerly Twitter.
“It was great to practice with you Alex Eala! Next time I will be stronger,” he ended with a wink emoji.
The 20-year-old Filipina has trained at Nadal’s academy since she was 13 years old, and the surefire Hall of Famer kept tabs on the former US Open junior champion in what was a breakthrough 2025 season. He sent her congratulatory messages to his fellow left-hander during her sizzling run to the Miami Open semifinals in March, where she upset Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek among others; for reaching her first WTA final at Eastbourne in June; and for winning her first WTA 125 title in Guadalajara in September.
“He is so grounded and he has achieved more than anything I could dream of,” Eala once told Philippine broadcast network GMA, “and the fact that he is still so nice to everyone around here is very admirable from him.”
Earlier this week, Eala was revealed as one of this season’s WTA Newcomer of the Year nominees. Eala is joined by Lois Boisson, Maya Joint, Iva Jovic, Eva Lys and Victoria Mboko in the award category.