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Serena Williams shares words of encouragement Alex Eala can appreciate

Alex Eala is coming off a strong showing at the Berlin Open, where she made an impressive run to the semifinals.

The unseeded Filipino player pulled off three big wins in Germany, taking down Donna Vekic, Elena Rybakina, and Elina Svitolina along the way.

Her streak came to an end against Linda Noskova, continuing a tough stretch for Eala against Czech players.

She’s now 1-14 all-time against players from the Czech Republic. But that record doesn’t tell the full story of her progress this year.

Alex Eala can draw confidence from Serena Williams’ comments

Williams recently returned to the court after nearly four years away, making her comeback by teaming up with Victoria Mboko at Queen’s. She then switched partners for the Berlin event, linking up with Karolina Muchova, who happens to be the top-ranked Czech player on the WTA Tour.

Reflecting on that choice, Williams joked: “The Czech players have given me nothing but trouble in my career. If you can’t beat them, join them.” The remark was all in good humour from a player more accustomed to being a problem for others during her illustrious career.

Eala is still working through those challenges herself. But it’s worth noting she did recently pick up a win over one of them. Last month, she claimed victory at the Birmingham Open, overcoming Nikola Bartunkova in a hard-fought final that tested both her physical and mental resolve.

Eala has always looked up to Williams as an inspiration. So any words or actions from the 23-time Grand Slam champion are likely to resonate and motivate her further.

Czech players are leading the charge in both the ATP and WTA

There’s a long list of players who have left their mark on the game, on both the women’s and men’s side, and that tradition is still going strong today.

The current era features some standout names too. On the ATP side, Jakub Mensik and Jiri Lehecka are making waves, while Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova are carrying the torch for Czech tennis.

Even if she doesn’t need to build her entire career around this particular matchup, figuring out how to get more wins against Czech opponents could become increasingly important for Eala down the line.

Next up for her is Elise Mertens from Belgium in the first round of Bad Homburg Open.