Alexandra Eala has seen a meteoric rise on the WTA Tour, becoming the highest-ranked Filipino in women’s tennis history and beating multiple top-10 opponents since her breakthrough last year. Finding herself among the top stars of the sport at just 20 years of age, she admits to being in disbelief over sharing memorable interactions with veteran players like Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys.
During the recently concluded Miami Open, Eala appeared on “The Player’s Box” podcast, hosted by Pegula and Keys, along with fellow American players Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk. Ahead of her opening match at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, the Filipina reflected on the surreal experience.
Alexandra Eala Reflects on Casual Interactions With Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys
Speaking to the WTA, Alexandra Eala opened up about how special it felt to have easy, off-the-cuff conversations about tennis and beyond with the American stars. She disclosed she’s still in awe about casually chatting with the likes of Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys, adding that the idea would’ve completely blown her mind a decade ago.
“It was so funny. They’re such personalities and obviously amazing players. It’s so good to be able to kind of just like have those conversations with them, even whether it’s about tennis or not. I think if you had told me that like five, 10 years ago, that I would be just like casually talking to Madison Keys or Jessica Pegula or some mixed doubles winners, you know, Grand Slam Champions, I’d be like, ‘Oh my God, okay,'” Eala said.
The 20-year-old also revealed that her favorite part of the podcast was the “unforced error” segment, where everyone uncovers their biggest blunder of the week.
“My favorite part was definitely my ‘unforced error’ because that happened and I like waited the whole week and a half to be able to tell them that,” she added.
Eala’s own “unforced error” stemmed from an “embarrassing” incident involving Keys, who unexpectedly witnessed the Filipina joking around with her friend in French. Eala humorously recalled the awkwardness that followed and said that it has since changed the way she greets the American.
“So mine involves Maddie. It was last week and I stayed here with a friend and we were on our way to the bus and I opened the door for her and as a joke, I was just like, ‘S’il vous plaît,’ like please go first. I said ‘S’il vous plaît’ and then she started making fun of me and she’s like, ‘Oh so you’re French now? Oh your French is so good,'” Alexandra Eala said on “The Player’s Box” podcast.
“Then I leaned into it and we were walking to the elevator and apparently my voice was highly elevated and I started saying all these French things. Basic French phrases. I was like bonjour and comment allez-vous. It was pretty loud,” she added. “We turn around and Maddie’s in the back, she heard everything, and we just started laughing. It was so embarrassing. So now every time I see Maddie, I say bonjour instead of hello.”
MORE: Alexandra Eala ‘Not Mad’ at Leylah Fernandez Comparisons Ahead of Stuttgart Clash
While Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys are enjoying some downtime at home after their Charleston Open campaigns, Alexandra Eala headed to Stuttgart for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix after her Linz Open run. Ahead of her first-round clash against Leylah Fernandez, the Filipina made a splash at the players’ party alongside Coco Gauff, Iga Świątek, and Eva Lys, among others.
