“By very popular demand and rightfully so (because) she’s the girl of the moment.”
That is how former Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova said when they were able to tap Filipina tennis star Alex Eala for a sit-down chat on her podcast, Pretty Tough.
The filming, which happened in New York—presumably around the time of the US Open in September, marked the second time that they met after first seeing each other when the now 21-year-old tennis star was younger.
In a separate teaser, Maria also described Alex as “thoughtful and composed as she is talented.”
“You would never know she is our youngest guest to date! Hope you love it as much as I loved recording it,” she added.
Sharpova also said that their conversation revolved around big expectations, staying true to yourself when everyone’s watching, and the parts of the journey that fans never see on a scoreboard.
Before this meeting, Sharapova expressed admiration for Eala after leaving a comment that read: “A star!” on a social media post following the Filipina’s historic win against then-world No. 3 Iga Swiatek at the Wimbledon Championships last June.
Meanwhile, Alex has just competed for the country at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, where she was able to clinch a bronze medal in the women’s singles event.
