From Lucky Loser to German No. 1: Eva Lys chats with Muguruza – “I’m an expert at putting yourself in a good mood

The up-and-coming 23-year-old Eva Lys spoke with Garbine Muguruza in a special interview after becoming the German No. 1. Lys caught attention at the Australian Open after entering the main draw as a lucky loser and surprisingly reaching the 4th round of the tournament.

In a remarkable start to the year, Lys gained entry to the draw after a last-minute withdrawal by Anna Kalinskaya. The German seized her opportunity, defeating Kimberly Birrell (No. 101), Varvara Gracheva (No. 69), and Jaqueline Cristian (No. 82) on her way to the Round of 16. She eventually lost to Iga Swiatek 1-6, 0-6, in her only Grand Slam main draw appearance so far.

Lys was in the VIP Tennis Lounge alongside former No. 1 Garbine Muguruza, taking advantage of her time in Madrid to grant an interview with the retired Spanish tennis player. One of the topics she touched on was her social media presence, where she has thousands of fans who closely follow the behind-the-scenes of the young German.

"This is very important. Because I have to turn off my mind as soon as I leave the tennis court. I love being creative. I love seeing the tennis court from a different perspective. I want to show tennis fans what tennis can look like: maybe with some insights or what a day of practice looks like." The two-time Grand Slam winner enthusiastically agreed: "We need this!"

Following her good weeks at the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, the German has achieved main draw wins at the WTA 1000 events in Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (against Irina-Camelia Begu) and the Madrid Open a week ago against Serbian Teodora Kostovic.

“I'll be honest. I've had a few not-so-good matches in the past few weeks. That's why I feel like I'm an expert at putting yourself in a good mood now," said Lys. "Even if I've had the worst tournament or the worst match in my opinion, I try to talk to my parents. Then they ask me which five things weren't so bad.”

“That's a bit difficult at first. At the end of the day, I'm left with things like, 'At least I had nice fingernails!' It sounds funny, but I think that's an important part of being in a good mood. Because that doesn't just happen," Lys explained.

The 23-year-old is the main contender to lead the German women on the WTA Tour after a decade with Angelique Kerber at the helm, the former world No. 1 who recently retired in 2024. Behind Lys, the next highest-ranked players from her country are currently Tatjana Maria (37 y/o, No. 82) and Laura Siegemund (37 y/o, No. 101). Her next challenge will be this week at the Rome Open.