Alex Eala's Wimbledon debut comes with Nike's sampaguita tribute

Alex Eala's Wimbledon debut came with a symbol of home. Nike marked the moment with a custom white hair tie, adorned with a single sampaguita - the national flower of the Philippines - as a tribute to her roots and rising legacy.

"The sampaguita - the flower of my country. A reminder of where I come from - and everything that brought me here," Eala wrote in an Instagram post, sharing a close-up of the flowered hair tie, which complemented Wimbledon's all-white dress code.

Nike Philippines has confirmed that the sampaguita hair tie was a one-off gift and not for commercial sale - further fuelling its symbolic value. But it also serves as a blueprint for meaningful brand storytelling in a saturated sponsorship landscape.

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The gift, packaged in a minimalist white box, included a handwritten message from Nike: "Every dream begins as a seed. 'Kung may tinanim, may aanihin.' And what you plant, you'll one day reap," it read. "A Filipina on the grass courts of history. Not just playing for herself, but carrying a nation in full bloom."

As of the morning of 7 July, Eala's post had drawn over 125,000 likes and more than 1,700 comments, with fans rallying behind her not just as an athlete, but as a symbol of national pride.

It's rare enough for a Filipino athlete to debut on Wimbledon's Centre Court - rarer still to do so with such a clear cultural statement. Facing defending champion Barbora Krejcikova, Eala battled through a tough three-setter before ultimately falling short.

The moment capped a breakthrough stretch for the 20-year-old. Just days earlier, Eala became the first Filipina to reach a WTA singles final, finishing runner-up in Eastbourne after a gruelling contest against Australia's Maya Joint.

The sampaguita, a small white blossom with a sweet fragrance, has been the Philippines' national flower since 1934. Native to South and Southeast Asia, the flower is believed to have made its way to the archipelago via early trade routes.

"Now, thanks to @nike, I get to bring all of that with me onto Wimbledon Centre Court - bitbit ko sa bawat galaw (I carry it with me in every move)," Eala ended her post, with a response from Nike Women: "The bloom has just begun!"

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