In this episode of Served, Andy Roddick and Jon Wertheim sit down with the "Pride of the Philippines," Alex Eala, to peel back the curtain on her meteoric rise. Alex gets incredibly candid about her journey, from training with her grandfather on basketball courts to moving to the Rafa Nadal Academy at age 13 and the surreal experience of becoming a national hero.
Producer Mike and Jon Wertheim also talk about some big headlines coming out of the first week in Miami: questions swirl after Naomi Osaka hints at retirement, Iga Świątek fires her coach Wim Fissette, and Carlos Alcaraz loses to Sebastian Korda in the third round. Also, Wimbledon has announced that some courts will have electronic video review available for the 2026 tournament.
COMMENT BELOW: What was your favorite moment from the Alex Eala interview? 📩 Sign up for the Newsletter here: https://servedmedia.substack.com/ Check out some Served Merch: https://store.servedpodcast.com/ 📱If you're new to the Served with Andy Roddick, we're happy you're here! Follow us for more: https://www.instagram.com/servedpodcast/https://x.com/Served_Podcasthttps://www.tiktok.com/@served_podcast Theme music composed, produced, and mixed by Dan Whittemore. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwhit.wav/
TIMESTAMPS:
Introduction & Teaser
Welcome to Served
Sebastian Korda stuns Carlos Alcaraz in Miami
Naomi Osaka’s retirement rumors & Talia Gibson’s rise
Wimbledon’s new video review technology for 2026
Iga Swiatek parts ways with coach Wim Fissette
Interview: Alex Eala joins the show
Reflecting on the 2025 Miami Open breakout
Representing the Philippines & dealing with fame
Backstory: Training with Grandpa & moving to Spain at 13
First interactions with Rafa Nadal
The Filipino fan base
Dream matchups
Finding happiness through progress on court
Roddick & Wertheim react to Eala interview
Breaking the "Country Club" tennis stereotype
Closing thoughts
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
