Alex Eala urges fans to drop vulgar nickname for her signature serve

The Filipina tennis star asks fans for respect over her hard-earned deceptive court move.

Alex Eala is not exactly sold on the viral nickname fans have given one of her most talked-about weapons on court.

During a press conference ahead of the US Open, the Filipina tennis star was asked about the “fookelya serve,” a fan-coined term referencing her deceptive, spin-heavy serve.

Rather than embracing the internet nickname, Eala admitted that the term does not sit comfortably with her, particularly because of the work she has poured into developing the shot.

“Hindi ko alam kung anong pakiramdam ko sa salita na ’yon kasi it’s not a very positive term,” Eala said. “Grabe ang paghihirap ko sa serve. Grabe ‘yong work that I’ve put into and, you know, I love my serve.”

Eala explained that while she understands fans likely do not intend to offend her, she would rather see the serve given a more positive name.

“I would appreciate a more positive term but I don’t think they mean it in a bad way,” she added.

She even shared how her coach talks about the shot, saying, “My coach says it’s like my little brother, parang ate ako ng serve ko.”

The viral term “fookelya” comes from the Filipino internet phrase “fool ka ni Eala,” a playful reference to how the tennis star’s deceptive serve can literally “fool” her opponents. 

However, the nickname’s resemblance to a vulgar term for female anatomy has also given it a second, more sexualized reading—one that makes Eala’s discomfort with the label understandable, especially given how much technical work she says she has invested in the serve.

Her response earned praise from fans who felt that the joke could unintentionally reduce a carefully developed technique to its sexualized punchline.

“Love for her for that. Simple lang naman,” one netizen posted. Another noted that associating the term with female anatomy and using it to describe her supposedly “weak and slow” serve can come across as half-mockery of the very technique Eala worked hard to perfect.

The serve may fool her opponents, but for Eala, the work behind it is no joke.

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