TAKE it from world no.3 Coco Gauff — media attention is part of the game, and Alex Eala is handling it just fine.
Despite an early singles exit at the Italian Open, the 19-year-old Filipina is projected to reach a new career-high ranking of world No. 64, according to the WTA live rankings.
While the official list has yet to update as of this writing, Eala is poised to rise again after spending just a week at No. 70.
She’s also into the round of 16 in the women’s doubles draw of the WTA 1000 Rome tournament — paired with the aformentioned Gauff, who has been nothing but supportive of the rising talent.
“There are ups and downs in the sport, but you realize that the media is there to kind of paint that story and make it more interesting. But that shouldn’t add pressure or anything like that. She [Eala] seems to be handling it super well,” the 21-year-old Gauff told Tennis.com.
While Eala is, in many ways, carrying the hopes of Philippine tennis — a nation still growing its global tennis presence — some netizens have criticized the media for putting undue pressure on her young shoulders.
