"I don’t have any bad blood with anyone, and I hope no one has it with me": Eva Lys offers perspective on players not getting along

Eva Lys has offered an honest and refreshing perspective on life on the WTA Tour, addressing the long-standing perception that players don’t always get along and explaining how she balances competition with friendship.

The German believes the dynamic between players is far more normal, and human, than many assume. “I feel like it’s similar to school, you have your class, and some people get along, some don’t,” Lys explained on the Changeover Podcast. “That’s just human nature. Some groups click, some don’t. It doesn’t mean there’s bad blood, it’s just not always a match.”

Despite being part of an intensely individual sport, Lys has built close relationships with several players on tour, including Marta Kostyuk, Paula Badosa and Coco Gauff. For her, the key is a clear separation between competition and personal connection.

“On court, we’re opponents. Off court, we can be cool with each other,” she said. “It’s no secret that we’re all trying to beat each other. Whenever I go out there, I want to win. As long as there’s respect, you can do whatever you need to do on court to win against me. Even if I’m friends with someone, like Coco, if she somehow uses something to beat me, then bravo to her. I’ll do the same.”

That mindset has allowed Lys to maintain friendships even after facing those same players across the net. “For example, I’m good friends with Paula, and we’ve played each other. We’re still cool after,” she added. “I know I can be friends with people who see it the same way. But not everyone thinks like that, and that’s okay.”

Lys is clear that she avoids conflict wherever possible. “I don’t have any bad blood with anyone, and I hope no one has it with me. I’m just not that type of person. I hate drama. I really need harmony in my life.”

However, she admits that emotions can run high after tough matches, particularly when facing friends. “After a tough loss, I want to be away from everyone, including them,” she said. “I remember talking to Paula after one of our matches, it was so close, just a couple of points. If I had lost, I would have been devastated. Those matches are really tough emotionally.”

While some players can immediately separate the result from the relationship, others need time and space, something Lys fully understands. "That’s the nice thing about the sport, we’re all different. If someone can’t separate it, then maybe we’re just not as close,” she explained.

At the same time, she believes tennis creates a unique bond between players, shaped by a shared and often demanding lifestyle. “Not many people understand the lifestyle, the traveling, the sacrifices, the work,” she said. “We’re not going to play forever. At the end of your career, what stays with you is the people you shared it with. It would be sad to go through all of this and not have anyone to relate to. Friendships built on shared struggles are really special.”

Lys also highlighted how behaviour on court can differ drastically from how players are off it, something that can easily be misunderstood. “Some people have a completely different personality during matches,” she said. “You’re seeing them in a totally different mental state, they’re fighting their own battles. Sometimes that brings out the worst in people, and it can come out toward you. But it’s not really about you, you just happen to be the opponent in that moment.”

Because of that, she believes taking things personally can be a mistake. “If you take everything personally, you’ll probably end up not liking many people on tour. Everyone is ultra competitive, and that side can come out,” she said. "Honestly, some people just aren’t that likeable on court, and that’s normal. You’re in a kind of war zone for two or three hours, fighting everything, yourself, your opponent, the situation.”

With players spending up to 40 weeks a year together on tour, Lys insists that learning to separate those moments is essential. “You come off court, and you still have to live your life, see these people every week,” she said. “You better get used to separating the court from life.”

Respect, she says, is the foundation of everything. “I don’t need to be best friends with everyone, but I respect everyone, that’s what my parents taught me. And that’s the least I expect in return.”

Even when it comes to close friends, she admits there are still competitive emotions involved. “If they win, am I jealous? Of course. Who wouldn’t want to win?” she said. “But I think it’s healthy to be honest about that feeling. If someone beats you, they were the better player that day. Then it’s on me to improve, work on my forehand, backhand, mental game, whatever it is.”

Lys is equally pragmatic when discussing rankings, offering a blunt but realistic assessment of how the system reflects performance. “I feel like every one has the ranking they deserve,” she said. “If you’re No. 5, you deserve to be No. 5. If you’re 50, you deserve to be 50. If you’re 750, you deserve to be 750. Rankings don’t lie.”

While acknowledging that it can be difficult to accept, she sees fluctuations as a natural part of the sport. “It’s not always nice, I mean, my ranking is dropping right now, but I have to accept that too,” she admitted. "You see players coming back from injury, struggling, then rising again. Almost no one has a perfectly steady ranking, except maybe a few top players. I have huge respect for those who stay consistently in the top 10 or top 20, you have to be built differently to do that.”

Ultimately, Lys believes the highs and lows are all part of the journey. “People drop out of the top 100 and come back. It’s part of the sport,” she said. “You just have to figure out what’s not working, improve it, and keep going. Sometimes it’s not that deep, and then sometimes it gets really deep because you get stuck in your own head.”