Alexandra Eala might just be tennis’ most talked-about talent at the moment, commanding mass intrigue no matter what she does.
If she wins, it marks the continuation of her rapid rise up the rankings, creating history for her home country with every new personal best she achieves.
However, if she loses, it can at times bring out a spiteful side for some, who argue that the Filipina sensation is failing to live up to the hype.
Realistically, the 20-year-old will always struggle to perform at the level that her hordes of fans at times command. Fortunately, most do not expect regular titles and top-ten victories.
In any sport though, there are always bound to be those who rush to kick a superstar when they are down. Kim Clijsters has now praised Alexandra Eala for refusing to remain downtrodden after suffering a first-round exit at the Australian Open.
Kim Clijsters points out Alex Eala’s weaknesses
Speaking on her Love All podcast, the four-time Grand Slam champion began by praising Eala’s tennis talents.
She claimed: “Well, there’s a lot of things that she does really well, and I think there’s a lot of things that make her opponents feel very uncomfortable. You know, one of the things that she can’t control is that she’s a left-hander.
What is the best win of Alexandra Eala’s career so far? 🤔
Iga Swiatek in Miami, Clara Tauson at the US Open, Jasmine Paolini in Dubai, or a different match?
“Her forehand is really good, but I think her backhand is better, her backhand is a little bit more of an aggressive shot, whereas the combination of her aggressive baseline shots with her backhand and then the ability to hit a heavier spin and make your opponent kind of step back a little bit behind the baseline, being able to make the angle with her forehand and open up the court.
“Her footwork is really good. She has great stamina.”
However, Clijsters then touched on Eala’s mental fortitude too, particularly in the face of great scrutiny last month: “She’s still very young, but we see the mental growth as well.
“You know, having that support, like, we talk about that, but at times, and we saw it this year, after the Australian Open where Rafa, you know, spoke out about, you know, being a little bit of a protector for her as well, because when she lost to Alycia Parks at the Australian Open in a close three setter, she also got a lot of hate from her fans and from the Philippine world and the fans that support her from her home country.
What does Alexandra Eala need to improve in 2026 to challenge for a Grand Slam title?
“And so, you know, there’s a lot of new things that she’s dealing with, that’s such a young age as well, and she’s been in Spain for many years since I think she was 13 years old.
I think she moved to Spain and trained at Rafa’s Academy and has been, you know, around people with a mindset that demands a lot, but is also very focused on, you have to put in the work, you are respectful, and she’s been around that environment, and I think there’s no coincidence that she has the results that she has.
“But I think it’s going to be very important for her to be a little bit protected from the craziness that comes with that all as well, and just the ability to keep focusing on what she has to do.”
Eala reached another career-high ranking last week, as she continues to steadily rise despite this growing scrutiny.
Kim Clijsters compares Alex Eala to Michael Jordan
Clijsters was not finished there though, arguably reserving her highest praise for the conclusion.
After all, she actually compared Eala to Michael Jordan, such is the extent of her superstardom.
The player turned pundit added: “She has done great things so far at a young age, but, you know, still has some improvements to get to, and consistency is something that is going to be very important. A lot of players know her now, know her strengths, know her weaknesses.
“So that’s something that she’s going to have to deal with as well, is to make sure that she can make her strengths become even stronger, but work on some of the weaknesses and yeah, and deal with, you know, this life of being, you know, like Michael Jordan in the Philippines.
“People just think it’s online, and it’s in the news and everything, but it’s, it’s not easy to, I think, to deal with, you know, changes like that.”
Eala has been hailed as a bigger draw than Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka recently, as if to prove Clijsters’ point further.
