Filipina tennis star Alex Eala was gifted a sampaguita hair tie by Nike ahead of her main draw debut at the prestigious 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday, July 1.
The 20-year-old athlete shared that the popular sports brand gave her a hair accessory with a design that symbolizes the national flower of the Philippines.
It was accompanied by a note and a Filipino proverb inside the case, which reads: “Kung may tinanim, may aanihin.”
Meanwhile, the note reads:
The sampaguita:
delicate, radiant, resilient,
is more than the Philippines’ national flower.
It’s strength. It’s belief. It’s home.
And today, you carry it with you.
Every dream begins with a seed.
“Kung may tinanim, may aanihin.”
And what you plant, you’ll one day reap.
Over the last decade, you’ve planted it all
— the hours, the grind, the quiet resolve.
And now, here you are,
a Filipina on the grass courts of history.
Not just playing for herself,
but carrying a nation in full bloom.
All yours,
Team Nike
Alex also posted a picture of her wearing the sampaguita hair tie.
“The sampaguita — the flower of my country. A reminder of where I come from — and everything that brought me here. Ang sampaguita ay paalala ng aking pinanggalingan at ng kulturang lagi kong dala-dala,” she wrote on Instagram on Monday, June 30.
“Now, thanks to @nike , I get to bring all of that with me onto Wimbledon Centre Court — bitbit ko sa bawat galaw. Kung may tinanim, may aanihin,” the tennis ace added.
View this post on Instagram
Alex’s post has earned more than 71,000 likes and comments on the image-sharing platform so far.
It also made its way to Reddit, where the post has gained over 4,400 upvotes on the “r/Philippines” community.
Alex Eala received a sampaguita from Nike — “Kung may tinanim, may aanihin”
byu/BrixGaming inPhilippines
Reactions
The sports brand’s gesture impressed some Filipinos, who shared their reactions in the discussion thread.
“That’s cool af,” a Redditor commented.
“That’s actually very thoughtful,” another Reddit user wrote.
“Ang ganda naman nun, Nike,” said a different Redditor.
Alex is set to compete at the Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday.
It is a Grand Slam tennis tournament, the oldest in the world and regarded as the most prestigious in the sport of tennis.
The Pinay will make her main draw debut by facing defending women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova of Czechia.
Alex made history by becoming the first Filipina to reach a WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) final with her run at the 2025 Eastbourne title match last week.
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