MANILA, Philippines — "Fookelya serve."
That is the playful term that many of Alex Eala's fans especially on social media, created and use to describe her slow, yet tricky and effective serve on the WTA Tour.
Many fans explained that "fookelya" is a play on words: "fool ka ni Eala," alluding to the lefty netter's deceptive serve.
The Filipino tennis ace acknowledged that fans don't mean to sound indecent with the term, but she wants a better alternative.
"Kindly explain that to me because it doesn't sound nice," Eala gamely replied after being asked about the term in her US Open pre-main draw presser Saturday in Manila.
"Maybe they mean for it to be positive but I don't know what I'm feeling when I hear that. I work so hard for my serve. The work that I've put into, you know, and I love my serve. It's like my coach says, it's like my little brother, like I'm an ate (older sister) to my serve."
Eala said she'd appreciate a more positive-sounding term.
"I don't know. So, yeah, I think that's it. I think I would appreciate a more positive term. But I think I don't think they mean it in a bad way."
World No. 18 and tournament No. 17 seed Eala will face qualifier and world No. 122 Mary Stoiana to start her US Open campaign.
