"She came out to watch and she’s like, ‘Oh, I want to go watch Alex Eala play": Former Grand Slam doubles champion says mother comes to tournaments just to watch rising Filipino

American doubles specialist Desirae Krawczyk revealed a hilarious story about her mother getting star-struck at the Indian Wells Open, including wanting to cook Filipino food for rising star Alex Eala.

Speaking on The Players Box Podcast alongside Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady and Jessica Pegula, Krawczyk explained that playing close to home meant plenty of friends and family had come out to support her. Keys began by asking the group whether anyone had people attending the tournament. “Does anyone have any friends or family coming out this week to watch and support?” Keys asked.

Krawczyk quickly replied that she had plenty of support in the stands. “Yes, I definitely do. Obviously being at home, there are tons of people who are like, ‘We can’t wait to watch you.’ And I’m like, ‘Yay, can’t wait to see you.’”

However, she joked that the attention can sometimes make practice sessions slightly awkward. “But then during practices, if they don’t really know tennis, they’ll be like, ‘Oh my God, Des, hi!’ right in the middle of practice. And I’m trying to stay locked in. They’re probably thinking, ‘Oh my God, she’s being rude, she’s not saying hi to me.’ But obviously at the end of practice I’ll go and say hi.”

Krawczyk then shared a story about her mom visiting the tournament grounds. “But yeah, I’ve had some family and friends come watch. My mom actually came out and watched.” Krawczyk laughed as she explained the real reason for her mother’s visit. “Jenny knows the story—that’s why she’s giggling. She came out to watch and she’s like, ‘Oh, I want to go watch Alex Eala play.’”

The reason, Krawczyk said, is her mother’s Filipino heritage and admiration for the young star. “My mom’s Filipino, so she’s crazy about Alex. She said, ‘I’m going to come watch her when she plays on Thursday.’ And I was like, ‘Mom, I’m going to be playing on Thursday.’”

Her mother quickly tried to cover her tracks. “She goes, ‘Oh—oh yes, you too. Yes, yes. I’m going to come watch you too.’ And I was like, ‘What? Mom, what are you doing?’”

The story didn’t end there, with Keys recalling another moment from the same visit. “Didn’t you say she was on site yesterday and you were like, ‘Mom, I’ve already left’?” Keys asked.

Krawczyk confirmed her mom had turned up at the venue without telling her. “Yeah, she didn’t tell me she was on site. She just texted, ‘Hi, I’m here.’ And I was like, ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were here?’ She said, ‘I came to watch you practice.’ I said, ‘I was practicing at one.’ She’s like, ‘Oh, okay… well, I just came to watch Alex.’”

Keys then brought up another detail that had the group laughing.“Didn’t you say she wanted to make her a Filipino dish and meet her mom or something too?”

Krawczyk explained that her mother had already been eager to meet players after visiting the US Open last year. “My mom went to the US Open last year, and Alex was obviously huge then. She was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to see Alex. Maybe I’ll get a picture with her. But I also want a picture with Jenny. I want a picture with everyone.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, Mom, let’s take it one at a time.’”

When she realised Eala would also be playing in Indian Wells, her enthusiasm grew even further. “When she found out Alex was playing at Indian Wells, she said, ‘I’m going to make her pancit,’ which is a famous noodle dish in the Philippines, ‘and lumpia,’ which are like egg rolls.”

Krawczyk even mentioned the idea to Eala herself. “I told Alex about it and she said, ‘Oh my gosh, I would love that.’” But Krawczyk admitted that telling her mom might unleash a mountain of food. “If I tell my mom that, she’ll probably make three big bowls of noodles. So I don’t know if I should give it to Alex. But yeah, they just go balls to the wall with that stuff.” Brady quickly saw the upside. “We can have the leftovers.” “That’s true,” Krawczyk replied with a laugh.