Many athletes dream of meeting their idols, but Alex Eala has gone a step further -- literally.

For one, the Filipina tennis ace got recognized through a comment on her Instagram post by her childhood hero, Maria Sharapova, and had a conversation with no less than women’s sports and tennis icon, American Billie Jean King, during her historic Wimbledon stint that concluded last week.

For the 21-year-old Eala, those moments were worth reminiscing, especially the recognition from her childhood hero Sharapova, the charismatic Russian netter who once ruled the Wimbledon in 2004.

“She’s someone I looked up to a lot when I was very young. So, I mean if I ever meet her I will be starstruck,” said Eala during a homecoming event organized by BPI in Makati City Tuesday, July 14.

“And yeah, the fact that she’s commenting on [my] post means she knows who I am. So, that’s a win. I’ll take it,” added Eala, who met the 2012 London Olympics silver medalist when she was a kid.

Sharapova, 39, called Eala “a star” during the latter’s run – her best-ever campaign in a Grand Slam competition – in the Wimbledon Championships.

It was indeed a full-circle moment for the Asian and Southeast Asian Games medalist who took inspiration from Sharapova’s way of presenting herself on court.

Apart from the praise from the five-time singles Slam winner, Eala also got the opportunity to play with the greats while in Europe. She teamed up with Venus Williams in Bad Homburg Open where they reached the second round.

Also, the 5-foot-9 ace played Last 16 against Italian Jasmine Paolini in front of the meet’s winningest male player in Swiss Roger Federer and women's icon King.

Both making an impact on and off the tennis, Eala was elated after she spontaneously bumped into King, whose character, according to Filipina, was “down-to-earth” and thoughtful.

“She paved the way for many, she did so much for women, and for equality. So, I respect her so much in that aspect, and the things she has done in my field have been amazing,” said Eala.

“So, it was nice to chat with her, she inquired about my family, she asked how my family was, and she’s very down-to-earth, so I was a little starstruck, but I mean it’s definitely a moment that I will remember,” she concluded.

Eala started to turn heads last year following her string of memorable victories against top 10 players. She became the first-ever Filipino to ever reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam meet that resulted in her career-high WTA ranking of No. 28.

King, on the other hand, aside from being a former No. 1 who collected 39 Slam trophies in singles, doubles, and mixed events throughout her career, made headlines worldwide when she battled late men’s tennis star Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973. There, King won over her male foe in rousing fashion, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.