Patience teaches us the value of timing. Patience is strength in itself.

Let us not drive Alex Eala to a path that is exceedingly steep, where expectations become paramount and judgment leads to unsolicited opinions and unwarranted pressure.

See, the tennis ace is enjoying herself with a breather in Manila after months of grueling competition in Europe.

She finished in the Round of 16 in Wimbledon — the best performance to date for a Filipino player in a Grand Slam — and caught the attention of everyone, foreign and local, with her grit and grace.

The London tournament also saw a massive spike in interactions, thanks to the photos, video clips, and dedicated content for the charming lefty that all triggered media buzz.

Last month, she won a WTA 125 title in Birmingham and had a semis run in the Berlin Open.

And wherever she was, she practically owned the stadium with thousands of Filipinos following her trail, creating an atmosphere comparable to a home-court stand against a visiting rival.

But with fame comes a hefty prize: the demand of winning.

During her fourth-round duel against Jasmine Paolini of Italy, comments were aplenty about her game on different livestream channels. It all bordered on assessments that were plainly irrational or pieces of advice from so-called experts of the sport they actually knew little about.

Fans still showered the Filipina with chorus of praises when she lost her match in three sets. But true enough, Eala became a target of hate and

lame analysis from accounts of people who were either just proud detractors or a troll masquerading as a wizard in the equally dubious social media world.

“Sa una lang magaling [She's only good at the start],” one wrote on Facebook.

“Overconfident,” a netizen commented.

Stop this nonsense.

While objective criticism is needed for improvement in any field, most of the reviews were typical of a keyboard warrior.

Eala carries the weight of the nation. It has become her responsibility to make us all proud. She is one of 117 million Filipinos wanting a piece of glory to spread news of positivity.

She is an embodiment of beauty, brains, and brawn. Eala has reached a pedestal of success all of us could only dream of.

And it's all because of her resilience and courage.

In her own words, nothing feels better than donning the Philippine flag on the biggest of stages.

“I do my best to represent the best of our country on and off the court because I'm really proud and it comes from a genuine place of love,” Eala said.

“So, I promise that I will continue to represent the Philippines in the best way that I possibly can,” she vowed.

Let us not become additional baggage in her already exhausting journey.

Little by little, we will see her glow and radiate the brightest of colors on international stage. She never ceases to train, she has never backed down to any opponent. She has fought to her absolute limits.

These alone make her more admirable. A superstar in the making, indeed.

For now, we should all be patient. We should never doubt one of our own.

(Ramon Rafael Bonilla is the editor of Manila Bulletin's Sports section.)