Stunning Alex Eala statistics suggest she is more popular than Alcaraz, Sinner and Djokovic
Alex Eala admitted the reaction she got from supporters in her one and only match at the Australian Open was ‘overwhelming’, but no one in tennis was surprised by excitement around her appearance in Melbourne.
Eala may have lost her opening match at the Australian Open against Alycia Parks, but the crowds flocking to watch the contest and all her practice sessions leading up to her Melbourne opener highlighted a reality that she is now one of the most popular players in the women’s game.
We have seen huge interest on Tennis365 in stories around Eala since her breakthrough run to the semi-finals of last year’s WTA 1000 event in Miami, with her win against Iga Swiatek in that memorable week catching the attention of a huge audience.
Superstardom was instantly guaranteed back home in the Philippines after her Miami heroics, but that star status has spread around the tennis world, with nearly 850k followers on her Instagram account confirming the depth of support for the Filipina player.
“It was so heart-warming,” Eala said after her defeat against Parks, as she was asked about the interest around her match in Melbourne.
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“That’s one of the things that makes a loss like today a little bit harder — I know a lot of people were rooting for me.
“It’s a process to take it all in. I think this week, definitely there were elements that were a bit overwhelming, especially during my practices.
“I didn’t expect that many people to be there. So it’s a learning process.
“I’m still young, so learning how to deal with all of this attention, but then at the same time being grateful.”
Another stunning statistic highlighting Eala’s popularity has been provided by the Australian Open’s YouTube page as Eala’s press conference attracted over 60k views, which is considerably more than the press briefings provided by Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic at this year’s tournament in Melbourne.
It is another indication of the impact she has made and the fan base she is building up, even though her career is still at a formative phase.
Eala has just broken into the top 50 of the WTA Rankings and while she needs to add more elements to her game to compete with the very best on the WTA Tour, but she has the potential to be one of the faces of the WTA Tour for the next decade if she can maintain her momentum.
Training at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca has clearly enhanced her progress and when she spoke to Tennis365 last year, Eala told us about the journey she has been on since her Miami Open fairy tale.
“I think I have done a good job and my team have done a good job of dealing with everything that happened after Miami,” said Eala, speaking exclusively to Tennis365.
“So many things changed and my perspective has changed since Miami, but my day-to-day life is the same. I have the same work ethic and the same attention to detail.
“What happened in Miami was definitely a big surprise for me. It’s difficult because I try not to look at it as a big picture thing, as that tournament progressed.
“I didn’t even look at the draw in Miami. I just went match by match because you don’t know how far you are going to get and every round there was another big obstacle.
“For sure, it gave me a lot of confidence to know that my level is there to play against the top players, but I know there is a lot more for me to do before i can be there consistently.”
Eala also spoke to us about her support network, as this quietly spoken star confirmed she is eager to stay grounded.
“I am lucky that my family played such a big role in my career and they have been so important for me so far,” she told us.
“They built the structure for me. They built the path I walked on. That was the start I needed to start my career.
“For me, family is such a crucial part of who I am and from where I come from, we are so family-oriented.”
Tennis is lucky to have a wonderful role model who will inspire so many young players to pick up a tennis racket and all in the sort have a duty to ensure Eala is given the best chance possible to reach for her dreams without the burden of pressure and expectation weighing too heavily on her shoulders.
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