Should Alex Eala take a break ahead of Wimbledon? Tennis great urges rising star to rest
Alex Eala is enjoying an incredible grass-court season and she is set for more action at this week’s Bad Homburg Open, but Tracy Austin has suggested she needs to take a break before Wimbledon.
Following a first-round exit from the French Open, Eala kicked off her grass campaign early as she signed up for the WTA 12K Birmingham Open and went all the way as she won her maiden title on the surface.
Next up was the HSBC Championship in London where she won her opening match before losing against Iva Jovic in the round of 16. She then flew to Germany for the Berlin Open and enjoyed an incredible week.
The 21-year-old claimed two top-10 wins as she defeated world No 2 Elena Rybakina in the round of 16 and world No 8 Elina Svitolina in the quarter-final, but then came up against an impressive Linda Noskova – who went on to win the title – and slumped to a 6-2, 6-4 defeat.
Eala has played 11 matches so far in June and the legendary Austin raised questions over her busy schedule ahead of Wimbledon.
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During the Tennis Channel’s broadcast of the Berlin Open semi-final against Noskova, the two-time US Open champion said: “She won a 125 in Birmingham, lost in the second round to Iva Jovic. Her fourth match of this week.
“It’s been a great week for Eala. How about a hand for her, a couple of top 10 wins.
“She’s gonna need a couple of days off, I think. She really needs to rest the body, but the mind is going to be great right now.”
The Filipina’s brilliant run at the WTA 500 event in Berlin has helped her to secure a Wimbledon seeding for the first time as she has surged to No 30 in the WTA Rankings and – with world No 9 Victoria Mboko unable to play at SW19 due to injury – she will be seeded 29th.
But Eala’s Wimbledon preparation is not done yet as she will be back in action Monday as she will open her Bad Homburg campaign against Elise Mertens with the match scheduled for 17:30 local time.
If she reaches the second round then she will face either sixth seed Naomi Osaka or Magdalena Frech for a place in the quarter-final.
Eala, though, will return to the courts of Bad Homburg on Tuesday as she will partner the great Venus Williams in the women’s doubles with the pair opening their tournament against Catherine Harrison and Alexandra Osborne.
