Alex Eala and Venus Williams at the 2026 Bad Homburg Open. Photo from Bad Homburg Open/Facebook
Filipina tennis sensation Alex Eala logged two solid hours of practice on the pristine Wimbledon grass on Saturday, following a one-day rest after her recent stint in Germany.
With Coach Joan Bosch mentoring her on-court, Eala looked strong, comfortable, and highly confident with her movements and court placement.
Eala spent her first hour hitting with good friend Zeynep Sonmez, before moving to another court to train with her doubles partner, Nikola Bartunkova. Eala displayed powerful baseline shots, well-placed serves, and sharp volleys throughout the session.
Eala is not included in the Order of Play for Wimbledon's opening day on Monday. She is scheduled to make her debut on Tuesday, June 30, against her first-round opponent, Renata Zarazua.
At the pre-tournament press conference, tennis legend Venus Williams had superb words to describe her doubles partnership with Eala last week in Germany.
"She’s great! Her parents are great. I got to meet them too. Overall, they seem to be very nice humans, which helps you be better tennis players, I think. She’s very competitive on the court. I think we were a great team—we just needed a little more time together. We never even got the chance to practice before we played the doubles. I hope we get the chance to team back up again," said the seven-time Wimbledon singles champion.
When asked about teaming up with her sister Serena Williams this week, Venus expressed her excitement about their historic return.
"It's very special and nice to be back in 2026. We have quite a history here, and we're ready to go. I’m excited to play; I can't wait until we hit the courts," Williams added.