Eva Lys fights back critics after calling out German media: "Support and order should be at the forefront, not lump negativity"

A tumultuous period for Eva Lys has seen negative results and bad injury luck takes its toll. A shining light for German tennis at the start of the year, she has now been forced to clap back at German media sites after the negative attention garnered in this period.

Lys had a breakthrough 2025, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open before making it all the way to the quarterfinal stage of the China Open. She reached a career high ranking of 39th in the world at the start of 2026.

Away from the court, she was getting recognised more of her positive persona, making her a popular figure among tennis fans and players. She has started to hang out more with other competitors, including with Coco Gauff recently, and has amassed over 300k followers on Instagram.

However, the pressure of her getting results on the court have caught up to her. After exiting the Australian Open first round, she was sidelined for two and a half months with a right knee injury. She returned to compete in Miami and Charleston but had to wait for her next win until Stuttgart, where she got the better of a floundering Paula Badosa in three sets.

Her home event ended to the hands of fourth seed Elina Svitolina a round later. She would then make the trip to Madrid hoping to find some form in the third WTA 1000 tournament of the year. It would end in the first round after a 6-4, 6-3 defeat to Shuai Zhang. Now sitting in 76th in the live rankings, she will be hoping to banish these prior months of misery and get back to her overwhelming best.

Lys was fed up of the critics having their way. She posted a couple headlines from German media. One writing: “Eva Lys can't get out of her rut - Struff can." The other: “Eva Lys is sinking deeper into crisis.”

She took to Instagram to fight back against the criticism. “I am increasingly wondering where German sports journalism is developing. Basically, I welcome any form of reporting. Especially in women's sports, which hasn't gotten the attention it deserves in a long time. However, even more important would be a differentiated and respectful tone.

"What I always notice is the consistently negative grounding of many headlines and comments. Criticism is, of course, part of sports. But the way it is often formulated seems much more devaluing than constructive."

"I find it questionable when female athletes are judged with a self-evident that has little to do with the reality on the field. Performance sports are complex and can't always be squeezed into simple evaluations. From many conversations with other German athletes, I know I am not alone in this perception.

"Obviously, I'm not in my best form right now, after having to lay off for 2.5 months. Nevertheless, it should be possible to talk about it factually and fairly. It's important for me to say that I don't mean all journalists. Especially in one's own country, support and order should be at the forefront, not lump negativity.”

The knee injury was not an easy one to get back from. To get back on the court, she had to do rehab work for 6-8 hours a day for weeks. On top of all of that, the 24-year-old was also diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called spondyloarthritis in 2020. This causes spinal/pelvic pain, stiffness, and joint inflammation, another obstacle she has diverted enroute to becoming a professional tennis player.

The show must go on for Lys. She will look to get back on the court at the Rome Open with Roland Garros fast approaching.