By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Alex Eala’s rapid rise continues to attract the attention of tennis’ biggest stars, with former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka and Japanese great Kei Nishikori joining the growing list of admirers of the Filipina sensation.
Nishikori believes the 21-year-old has what it takes to break into the WTA Top 10, while Osaka hailed Eala as an emerging role model whose success and character make her an inspiration to young players.
Their glowing remarks came as Eala opens her North American hard-court swing campaign at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington DC, United States this week.
“Yeah, that’s super flattering coming from Naomi and Kei,” Eala said when told of their comments in an interview with Dyan Castillejo
“Like you said, two tennis greats and two Asians who I look up to,” she added.
Eala admitted growing up watching Nishikori, who became the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final at the 2014 US Open, while also drawing inspiration from Osaka’s remarkable career.
“They have been very successful, that’s for sure, and I remember I would watch Kei a lot when I was younger and of course, Naomi blew up so much each time that she won the four Grand Slams. She’s been doing so much for fashion and being a mom, so that’s amazing to hear from them,” Eala said.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, described Eala as one of the brightest young stars in the game.
“I don’t know much about Alex, but I think she’s incredible,” Osaka said. “I think she’s a star, and it’s just really cool to have someone like her that, I guess, people can look up to.”
“For me, I think it’s amazing that she’s such an inspiration. Really love hearing her talk because it’s really cool the things that she says,” she added.
Nishikori said Eala has all the tools to become one of the world’s elite players.
“She can be top 10 any time if she can stay healthy and play good, mentally stay tough,” said Nishikori, who is set to retire at the end of this season.
“I’m actually really happy. She has the most potential, I think, among many Asians. … I hope she can — yeah, Naomi and Eala can stay up there,” he added.
Eala is battling fellow Asian in Chinese wildcard Zheng Qinwen in the opening round early Wednesday, July 29 (Philippine time).
