Welcome to the latest instalment of Alexandra Eala’s blog. Aged 17, Alex has made a big impression within professional tennis, winning two ITF World Tennis Tour titles. She is also a two-time Junior Grand Slam doubles champion and in September 2022 was crowned US Open girls' champion. Last year, she received funding through the ITF-administered Grand Slam Player Development Programme. Alex is writing regular pieces for the ITF, providing insight into her tennis journey. Follow her progress here.

I’m having a great time here in Melbourne as I continue preparations for Australian Open qualifying, which gets underway on Monday.

It will be a career first for me as I have never previously contested Grand Slam qualifying and, to be honest, I am over the moon to be fighting for a place in the main draw of a major tournament.

Undoubtedly, it will be very difficult, but if I was to win three matches and navigate next week, playing in the main draw of the Australian Open would mean so much to me.

To get to that level means you are among the world’s best players, and if you emerge through qualifying it means you have really earned that chance. From there, you could be drawn against anyone, maybe even the world No. 1.

But any match at a Grand Slam, whether in the main draw or qualifying, no matter if you win or lose, is a fantastic learning experience and that is why I am really excited to be in this environment where everybody is so professional.

At the moment, I am working hard and adapting to the atmosphere, the weather, the balls and the courts. I am also just keeping my head down, reminding myself that qualifying matches are like any other.

Of course, I have fond memories of Melbourne and the Australian Open as this is where I won my first Junior Grand Slam title – in the girls' doubles alongside Priska Nugroho of Indonesia in 2020.

But coming here as a professional is not the same as coming here as a junior. I am just as excited, but this is a new journey for me. Unlike juniors, I am not one of the top-seeded players anymore and if I am going to feature in the main draw, I will have to fight.

However, I feel ready. I have already played my first tournament this season, at W60 Canberra, where I reached the second round of qualifying. I expected the level to be high given we are building towards the Australian Open and I felt I played two good matches.

This follows a productive off-season, which felt quite long but was very effective and my team and I did everything we planned to, executing everything really well. I was so happy with how my team constructed those five weeks.

There was a significant focus upon my fitness during this period and I did a lot of aerobic exercises, while towards the end we concentrated more on specific training, points and technique. I feel in good shape.

In terms of this season, in conjunction with featuring on the ITF World Tennis Tour, my goal is to integrate myself more onto the WTA Tour and try to follow their calendar a little bit more.

After Melbourne, I am planning to join the WTA 250 Thailand Open in Hua Hin, although it is quite difficult to nail down an exact schedule currently and much depends on how the next few weeks shape up.

Before I get back to my preparations, I must mention one of the standout moments of the off-season. In November, Vogue Philippines featured me, and I was on the front cover. When I found out, I was super-excited and I was freaking out with my mom.

I never imagined myself as a Vogue cover girl, but it was a unique experience and something I thoroughly enjoyed. I used it as an opportunity to learn things about myself off court: my interests, my style, whether I like certain clothing, whether or not photoshoots are for me and how I interact with people outside of tennis.

For me, it was a learning process and commitments of this nature are certainly something I am willing to touch upon more as my career progresses. That said, it is important to remember they are a consequence of hard work and on-court success.

The next stage of that development is the Australian Open and that is what I am focusing on. As I say, I cannot wait to get out there and test myself in qualifying and see where it takes me. Wish me luck.