What is the price of patriotism?
For Alex Eala, it could be a substantial amount of money, lost ranking points, and a harder climb toward the seedings that can shape a professional tennis career.
The 21-year-old Filipina star has chosen to represent the Philippines at the Asian Games in Japan, even without an exemption from the Women’s Tennis Association to skip the China Open.
That turns a scheduling conflict into a costly choice between country and career.
The China Open is a WTA 1000 event, one of the tour’s biggest tournaments. Eala, ranked No. 18, has played eight of the 10 WTA 1000 events this year. Missing Beijing could mean a zero ranking score and a USD10,000 fine, with consequences that could linger through future entries, draws, and seedings.
The Philippine Tennis Association is seeking an exemption. It should keep pushing, even if the precedent is hardly encouraging.
Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, ranked No. 35, sought a similar exemption and was denied. Seven WTA-level players are expected to miss the Asian Games because the two events overlap.
The WTA has a legitimate interest in protecting its calendar. Professional tennis cannot function if players simply pick and choose which mandatory tournaments to attend. But the Asian Games is not an exhibition or a vacation squeezed between tournaments. It is one of the rare occasions when professional athletes compete explicitly for their countries.
For Eala, there is another incentive. A gold medal would provide a pathway to automatic qualification for the Olympics, the ultimate stage for many athletes.
This is where the tennis calendar starts looking a little too clever for its own good. A system built to reward elite athletes can end up penalizing one for choosing national duty.
Eala has made her choice. The WTA does not have to agree with it. But it should recognize what that choice represents.
Patriotism should cost sacrifice. It should not cost a ranking.
