AMERICAN netter Iva Jovic expressed high respect for Alexandra “Alex” Eala, whom she considers one of her closest friends on the WTA Tour.
“I think there’s so much respect there between me and Alex as players and as people. I know how she plays — we’ve practiced together a ton. She’s a baller,” said Jovic.
Jovic secured a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Eala in the opening round of the French Open to advance to the second round.
“She’s one of the nicest people. I’m here for her, she’s there for me. We gave each other a big hug before the match and the same after,” Jovic added.
Jovic admitted that facing a close friend on the court is never easy, knowing that one has to win while the other must lose.
Still, she emphasized how valuable it is to have friendships on the Tour, especially given the physical and emotional demands of competing in high-level tournaments.
“It’s just nice. You need those friendships and those people on the tour because otherwise it can get a little too hard doing all this. It’s a bummer we had to play each other in the first round, but it happens. Draws are like that. I know we’ll play each other many more times,” she said.
Despite the early exit, Eala will not go home empty-handed as she is set to receive 87,000 euros (over P6 million) in prize money.
Eala’s campaign is not over yet, as she is still scheduled to compete in the doubles event alongside Canada’s Victoria Mboko.
Eala and Mboko will be thrown into a tough challenge right away in the opening round of the French Open doubles event on Wednesday night.
In their first assignment, Eala and Mboko will take on the formidable duo of Leylah Fernandez of Canada and Diana Shnaider of Russia.
