Alex Eala gives clear verdict on women's tennis GOAT debate and names dream opponents
Alex Eala has named two players as her dream opposition, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, and weighed in on which star is the women’s tennis GOAT.
The Filipina athlete named Williams as the first of her two dream opponents, after playing in doubles with her multi-Slam winning sibling Venus at the Bad Homburg Open in June.
Eala also raised Sharapova’s name, a five-time Major winner, as her second dream opponent. Williams holds a 20-2 head-to-head record against the Russian.
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Alex Eala names her women’s tennis GOAT
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the 21-year-old confessed to Channel News Asia that Williams is the greatest women’s tennis player of all time, despite holding Sharapova near to her heart.
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Famously, the Russian won Wimbledon 2004 at just 17 years of age, taking out Williams in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, on Centre Court.
Williams won their first-ever match-up in 2004, at the Miami Masters. After losing at Wimbledon, Sharapova again prevailed against the American at the WTA Tour Finals.
In that match, the Russian won 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, and lifted the women’s end-of-season trophy. With the head-to-head at 2-1 in Sharapova’s favour, Williams won their next 19 successive battles.
Eala spoke fondly of both players, her two dream opponents, but acknowledged: “Serena is just the greatest of all time. And Maria is someone I’ve looked up to ever since I was a baby.
The Filipina star was born in May 2005, the year following Sharapova’s sole two victories against Williams. As a result, Eala has never seen the Russian beat her American rival live.
The 21-year-old previously praised Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slams throughout her playing career, at Queen’s, during the grass-court build-up to Wimbledon.
“Of course, she is the greatest, and such an inspiration. To be able to see that firsthand, and experience the Tour at the same time as her is something I’ll remember for life,” claimed Eala.
Williams returned to the WTA Tour for both grass-court events, after stepping away from competitive tennis in 2022.
The tennis icon first played doubles with Venus at Queen’s, then again in Berlin, and lost her opening round match versus Maya Joint two-sets-to-one after receiving a wildcard to play at Wimbledon.
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Could Alex Eala play doubles with Serena Williams?
It is unknown whether Eala will play doubles with Williams, who she declared the women’s tennis GOAT, despite having partnered with Venus at two WTA events in 2026.
Alongside the seven-time Slam Singles champion, Eala made it to the quarter-finals in Bad Homburg, and bowed out at the Round of 32 in Toronto.
The Filipina athlete was equally eager to praise Venus as she was her sibling, praising the 46-year-old’s mentality and influence.
"Of course, this year, having had the pleasure to play doubles twice with Venus, I’ve learned a lot about her mentality on court,” said Eala.
“[I’ve also learned] things about how she championed equal prize money with her sister… What they’ve had to work towards, and what they’ve had to work through to get to where they are now.
“It is so inspiring. There are so many stories behind the scenes that you might not even realise. So that really keeps me humble.
"It keeps me motivated to work harder and be among and stay among these incredible people,” finished the Filipina.
Venus claimed Eala is “a world star” after their latest doubles game in Toronto, which surely bodes well for the 21-year-old’s chances of partnering with 23-time Major-winning Williams.
The American’s next match, if she continues to ward retirement, remains unclear. For Eala, she will represent the Philippines at the Asian Games, then play in 2026’s final WTA 1000 event in Wuhan.
Topics: Alex Eala, Serena Williams, Tennis
Kedar Bayley