Alex Eala has already turned her attention to the grass-court swing on the WTA Tour following her Roland Garros exit.
Eala was beaten by fellow rising star Iva Jovic in her opening match in Paris, but got back to winning ways earlier this week at the Birmingham Classic.
The 21-year-old Filipina is now looking to fine-tune her game on the court as Wimbledon draws nearer, although she has also been busy off the court.
Popular figure Eala has been tasked with building her ultimate tennis player, with WTA legend Serena Williams featuring heavily in her verdict.
Alexandra Eala will finish 2026 ranked — in the world
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Alex Eala thinks Serena Williams has the best forehand in women’s tennis history
In an interview with TNT Sports, Eala was tasked with picking the ideal player for seven key categories, and responded thus:
- Serve: Serena Williams.
- Return: Okay, now you’ve got me stuck. I’m going to say Steffi Graf maybe.
- Forehand: I’ve got to say Serena again.
- Backhand: Justine Henin.
- Volley: Oh my gosh, I don’t know. I’m going to say [Martina] Navratilova, because she’s just another great. I feel like there are so many greats, they’re all so well-rounded, I’m just going to keep listing them.
- Footwork: Ohh I love Iga’s [Swiatek] footwork, I love Iga’s footwork, yeah.
- Mental strength: [Maria] Sharapova.
Selecting various icons of women’s tennis, Eala has assembled quite the player who would undoubtedly be a match for any star, past or present.
And playing a key role is 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams, who will return to tennis at Queen’s this month after an absence of almost four years.
You can bring one tennis legend out of retirement. Who do you pick and why?
Alex Eala picks one word to describe Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka
Eala’s challenging off-court duties do not end there, with the talented youngster having also played a word association game about many of her WTA rivals.
Asked by TNT Sports to say the first thing that came into her head about the players, she responded as follows:
- Iga Swiatek: Footwork.
- Coco Gauff: Icon.
- Jessica Pegula: Solid.
- Amanda Anisimova: Backhand.
- Elina Svitolina: Ohh, mother!
- Naomi Osaka: Fashion icon.
- Madison Keys: Affogato. I was just talking about affogatos with her the other week, I guess, so yeah, I don’t know why!
- Aryna Sabalenka: Power.
Eala certainly knows her rivals well, with the Filipina undoubtedly now keen to follow in their successful footsteps.
It does, however, remain to be seen what heights she can reach in women’s tennis, with the world number 37 still chasing her maiden career title.
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