{"id":1818658,"date":"2026-03-10T21:00:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T18:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1818658"},"modified":"2026-03-10T21:00:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T18:00:24","slug":"alex-eala-gets-glowing-tribute-from-former-british-no-1-as-expectations-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1818658","title":{"rendered":"Alex Eala gets glowing tribute from former British No 1 as expectations rise"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">Alex Eala gets glowing tribute from former British No 1 as expectations rise<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/kevin-palmer\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Kevin Palmer                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"10 Mar 2026 9:00 PM\" data-ps-date=\"10 Mar 2026 9:00 PM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1773176424\"><br \/>\n                            10 Mar 2026 9:00 PM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/common\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" 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<a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/common\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 dark:hidden h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/common\/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <button id=\"t365-article-share-btn-hidden\" class=\"mr-2 hidden h-6 w-6 appearance-none border-none !text-share-icon outline-none hover:!text-share-icon-active sm:hidden\" data-title=\"Alex Eala gets glowing tribute from former British No 1 as expectations rise\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Eala-celebrates-during-her-match-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Pictured: Alex Eala celebrates during her match\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                Alex Eala celebrates during her match                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tag\/alex-eala\">Alex Eala\u2019s<\/a> rise up the tennis ladder is continuing with her impressive run at the Indian Wells Open pushing her towards the top 20 of the WTA Rankings for the first time in her career.<\/p>\n<p>Eala made it through to the fourth round in the WTA 1000 tournament for the first time as she got past Coco Gauff after the American was forced to retire due to injury, with Eala now emerging as one of the most popular players in the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n<p>The hype around the Filapina star started to gather momentum when she reached the semi-finals of the Miami Open last March, beating Iga Swiatek in the last eight of that run.<\/p>\n<p>Now she is building her career at a steady pace, with former British No 1 Greg Rusedski suggesting she could be a huge asset for the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking on the latest edition of his <a rel=\"noopener nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=D9Kp9HQ3_hA&amp;t=58s\">Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast<\/a>, the 1997 US Open runner-up lavished praise on the 20-year-old who has already built up a huge following in her short time at the top of the game.<\/p>\n<h2>More Tennis News<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/alex-eala-names-four-fellow-wta-players-as-she-reveals-her-closest-friends-on-tour\">Alex Eala names four fellow WTA players as she reveals her closest friends on tour<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-news\/everything-alex-eala-said-press-conference-indian-wells-coco-gauff-retirement-win\">Indian Wells Open: Everything Alex Eala said in her press conference after Coco Gauff retirement<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s a good leftie, moves exceptionally well and she competes incredibly well,\u201d said Rusedski.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe movement is there, the firepower is getting better and it\u2019s a gradual build-up in her career.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like the way she thinks tactically. She\u2019s very astute out there and for all the pressure and expectation that are on her shoulders, she\u2019s finding a way to push through. Eala is great for the women\u2019s tour.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eala spoke about how she deals with pressure after her win over Gauff, as she insisted she can block out the expectations building around her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no technique that I use specifically,\u201d she said, when asked about dealing with pressure. \u201cI think I have gained certain experience over the years of how to handle these high-pressure situations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course, it\u2019s taken up a notch when you\u2019re playing big players and when you\u2019re playing on big courts. So it\u2019s a learning experience for me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I try to do is just focus on the next thing. I try not to think of the bigger picture. I focus on what I can control.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Want more from Tennis365? Add us as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\">a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for tennis coverage you can trust.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Eala\u2019s popularity has not gone unnoticed by potential sponsors, with big money offers now coming her way.<\/p>\n<p>That will almost certainly inflate if her rise up the rankings continues at its present rate, with her fanbase already making her one of the most high-profile players on the WTA Tour.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ NEXT: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/tennis-features\/alex-eala-cash-windfall-sponsors-popularity\">Alex Eala set for cash windfall as sponsors clamour to cash in on her huge popularity<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alex Eala gets glowing tribute from former British No 1 as expectations rise Kevin Palmer 10 Mar 2026 9:00 PM Alex Eala celebrates during her match Alex Eala\u2019s rise up the tennis ladder is continuing with her impressive run at the Indian Wells Open pushing her towards the top 20 of the WTA Rankings for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-1818658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1818658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1818658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1818658\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1818658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1818658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1818658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}