Alex Eala names four fellow WTA players as she reveals her closest friends on tour
Rising WTA Tour star Alex Eala has opened up about her growing friendships within tennis and her decision to try to become more “social” within the sport.
Long-recognised as one of the brightest young talents in the women’s game, Eala has soared up the WTA Rankings over the past twelve months and has now become one of the biggest stars within tennis, attracting significant attention wherever she plays.
The 20-year-old is making her Indian Wells debut this fortnight and is through to the fourth round of the event, progressing on Sunday after Coco Gauff was forced to retire injured in their third-round match.
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Eala has become one of the most popular figures within the game ever since her landmark Miami Open breakthrough last March, though she is also well-liked and respected among her WTA Tour peers.
The world No 32 is still a fairly new face to the senior game and will have had to adapt to meeting lots of new faces in recent months, though she will also have seen many of her junior rivals also progressing alongside her.
Speaking on Tennis Channel after her victory over Gauff on Sunday, Eala discussed her decision to try and engage more with her fellow tour players — and revealed which players she had a particularly close bond with.
She said: “I think this year, one of my resolutions, and maybe even before that, was to try and be more social and come out of my shell a bit.
“I am happy to say that I have built a lot of really great friendships on tour. This week I played with Iva Jovic, we are really good friends. She is super good fun.
“Others that I’m really good friends, one of my best friends not just on Tour but in life, is Zeynep [Sonmez]. I have grown really close with her. Also, Victoria Mboko.
“I am surrounded by so many amazing women. Eva Lys, Iva Jovic. And also that half Filipinos being on tour, I have really bonded with them.
“So I am really grateful I am able to build these sort of friendships because we can understand each other. It’s just girlhood.”
Eala will return to action on Tuesday night when she faces 14th seed Linda Noskova, another player she will know well from her junior days.
Noskova is only six months older than the Filipina and has made significant progress in recent years, reaching a career-high of 12th in the WTA Rankings back in January.
The Czech has beaten Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Sorana Cirstea in her first two Indian Wells matches, and will enter as the favourite against Eala.
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