Alexandra Eala headlines a sparkling cast of players in Washington, whose return to action this week marks the first significant event since Wimbledon ended two weeks previously.
There have been tournaments elsewhere, but none anywhere near the importance of this 500-level event with a stacked roster.
On the men’s side, players like Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and Jack Draper star, whilst the likes of Jessica Pegula and Venus Williams will guarantee hometown intrigue.
And, no matter where she goes, Eala commands widespread interest.
Over the last few months, the 21-year-old has clearly made it her mission to play as much tennis as possible, even dipping into doubles as well as singles.
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And, as recently as a few days ago, it was expected that she would do the same in Washington despite her lack of preparation.
Eala had a tough decision to make, and it is now clear which direction she took.
The reason Alex Eala gave for rejecting Venus Williams’ doubles offer
In opting to prioritise her own singles efforts, Eala made the choice to withdraw from playing doubles with Venus.
Speaking to the press, she explained exactly why: “I have so much respect for Venus. I am so grateful for every opportunity that I have to be around her, to learn from her, to hit with her. But I do think this is my first week coming back, and I think that Venus is someone who deserves a partner who can give their all physically, emotionally, mentally when they’re on court with her.
“I think right now I can only do that for singles. I don’t have the capacity yet to be able to give that in both singles and doubles. I’m really grateful for the opportunity that I had, or have, and hopefully we see more of it in the future.”
Venus also gave her thoughts on Eala’s decision, having now opted to play with Diana Shnaider.
Eala will face Qinwen Zheng in the first round of the Washington Open singles draw.
Alex Eala was correct to make a brave but difficult Venus Williams decision
Turning down the opportunity to unite with a player of Williams’ legendary status must have been a really difficult decision for Eala, which arguably makes it even more justifiable.
After all, this will not have been some spur-of-the-moment choice. If she felt she had the capacity to compete at the highest level with the 46-year-old, surely she would have.
The simple fact of the matter is that Eala must look out for herself, and if she were to stretch herself physically, then she’d be absent from both the singles and doubles going forward.
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The youngster has played a lot of tennis over the last few months, and at Wimbledon was covered in tape across her body.
Venus was very understanding too, clearly not frustrated by the decision.
Eala should not be criticised for this move; in fact, it was actually brave of her to admit she could not give her all to Williams’ cause.
