Marcos hails Eala for unifying nation

MUST WATCH Women’s Wimbledon champion and world No. 3 Iga Swiatek of Poland (left) and  Philippines’ Alexandra “Alex” Eala (currently No. 29 in the world) go all out in the women’s singles third-round tennis match at Wimbledon on Saturday. —Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos heaped lavish praise on tennis superstar Alexandra “Alex” Eala following her historic win at Wimbledon Centre Court on Saturday night (Manila time), calling her victory a force that united a country greatly divided by politics.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson also expressed a similar sentiment in a social media post on Sunday morning in which he described Eala as a “unifier of a deeply divided nation.”

Marcos was ecstatic over the 21-year-old tennis phenom’s win, making not one, but two fist pumps, as he shared the news with reporters at the conclusion of his official visit to Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday.

READ: Tennis legend Bllie Jean King praises ‘inspiration’ Alex Eala

He also praised Eala for being an inspiration to young people for becoming the first Filipino to advance to the fourth round of the prestigious Grand Slam tournament.

World-class performance

“She really is becoming a true inspiration especially for younger people, younger Filipinos,” the President said.

He congratulated Eala for her “world-class” and “terrific” performance at Wimbledon, adding, “She’s just getting started. Our young athlete still has much more to achieve.”

READ: Alex Eala a ‘unifier of a deeply divided nation’ – Lacson

The 29th-ranked Eala stunned defending Wimbledon champion and world No. 3 Iga Swiatek of Poland, 7-6(9), 6-2, in their third-round match.

Her next foe is 13th-seeded Jasmine Paolini whom she needs to defeat to secure a spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. The Italian tennis player was the 2024 Wimbledon runner-up.

Marcos had more to say about Eala in his official social media accounts, praising her for bridging divisions across the country.

“There are days when an entire nation celebrates together. Today is one of those days,” he said.

“Thank you for showing young Filipinos that they, too, can dream big and reach the world’s biggest stage,” he added.

The President also expressed support for Eala on behalf of all Filipinos, saying the entire nation continues to rally behind her as she competes and brings honor and recognition to the Philippines on the international stage.

“Keep it up. We’ll all be here. The whole Filipino nation is cheering you on,” Mr. Marcos said.

“We know that you are fighting, making us proud, and bringing luster and honor to the Philippines,” he added.

‘Detoxifier’

Lacson also expressed his gratitude to Eala whom he called the “detoxifier that our country’s highly toxic atmosphere needs and an influential unifier of a deeply divided nation.”

“Thank you Alex Eala for lifting the Filipino spirit. God bless you and the Philippines,” he said on X (formerly Twitter).

Lacson previously hailed Eala when she took down Maya Joint from Australia during the second round, describing the Filipino athlete as having an “indomitable spirit” that makes “every Filipino proud.”

As she continues to make history, Eala said every milestone is dedicated to her younger self and to the Philippines.

“It’s incredible to have my countrymen cheering me on, and knowing that, you know, we’re all in this together. So this goes out to them, this goes out to my family, this goes out to all of the little girls with ruffled socks and chubby cheeks. It means the world,” she said. /cb