You know her story a little, I am sure. Four years old, swinging a racket nearly as big as she was, on ordinary courts in Pasig City, in a country where tennis has never been the sport anyone expected greatness from.
At thirteen Alex Eala said goodbye to everything familiar and moved to Spain, chasing something she could not yet prove was there. And here is the part I love most. It did not happen fast.
Years of small tournaments nobody was watching. Quiet rankings. Nearly empty stadiums. Almost two decades of unnoticed work before the world finally turned to look.
It Is Not Just That She Climbs. It Is How.
That is what gets me every time. After a hard loss at the Australian Open, she did not sulk, did not make excuses. A few days later she was right back on court, playing for her country again. She talks about her losses like they are simply lessons, one match at a time, never a verdict on who she is.
And when the crowd shows up for her, thousands of miles from home, she is quick to say it is not about her, it is about them. That is grit that has not gone hard. That is humility that has not gone insecure.
I do not know many people who can win and stay grateful, or lose and stay steady, the way she does. If you ask me, grit and humility are not just something Alex Eala shows on occasion. They define her character.
The more we watch her, the more familiar it feels. A quiet, unglamorous faithfulness that nobody applauds for years, until suddenly the fruit is undeniable. Strength that never had to turn hard to survive. Success that keeps looking for someone else to lift instead of something else to prove. I know that pattern from somewhere else.
Thirty hidden years before three public ones. Never needing applause to know who He was. Turning every moment of triumph into another chance to serve someone else. His name is Jesus.
Alex Eala is not trying to preach anything to us. But watching her, I find myself thinking less about her forehand, and more about how rare, and how beautiful, it is to see strength that never stops being humble.
Concluding Thought
Here is what I keep coming back to. Greatness and gentleness were never supposed to be opposites. We can fight hard for what we are called to do. We can put in the years nobody sees. And we can still stay soft enough to give credit away, and humble enough to keep learning. That is not just a tennis lesson, my friend. That is the shape our lives were always meant to take.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for this small, gentle reminder that strength and humility really can live in the same heart. Teach me to work with everything I have, and still hold what I achieve with open hands. When I win, keep me grateful. When I lose, keep me grounded. Let my life, in whatever small way, point someone back to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for the Heart
– Where have I been measuring myself by how fast I am rising, instead of how faithfully I am walking?
– Who has been quietly cheering for me, the way those crowds cheer for Eala far from home? Have I told them thank you?
– When my next setback comes this week, will I respond with bitterness, or with the kind of grounded grit that just keeps moving forward?
God’s Word for Your Day
Philippians 4:13 (NIV): “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Micah 6:8 (NIV): “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Galatians 6:9 (NIV): “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
BERMIE DIZON is a retired pastor of Grace Communion International (GCI), Glendora, CA and a former writer for USA Tribune for nine years. He is also the author of the book “God, In Every Step” and has now published his second book “God in Every Heartbeat”which contains 52 heartfelt devotionals drawn from personal stories, Scripture and the lives of others. You will be reminded that God is with you in every breath, every joy and every struggle. The book is now available at Amazon.
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