"She’s like an absolute rock star": Alexandra Eala the biggest draw in women's tennis right now? Querrey, Isner and Johnson debate impact of rising Filipino

Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson, John Isner and Jack Sock covered plenty of ground on the latest episode of Nothing Major, from Alexandra Eala’s meteoric rise as a global draw to Jessica Pegula’s clinical Dubai triumph and the ongoing scrutiny surrounding Coco Gauff’s serve.

Kicking off his “Querrey’s Query” segment, Sam Querrey posed a bold question. “My question to you guys is on the women’s side, Alexandra Eala. I don’t even know if I’m saying her name right. Is she the biggest draw in women’s tennis right now in the world? Is she bigger than Sabalenka? Is she bigger than Coco?”

Steve Johnson did not hesitate. “Dude, it’s crazy. She’s having the same effect that Fonseca was having on the men’s side last year in Miami. Every court in Australia, standing room only. Then in Dubai, standing room only. It’s insane. The crowds she’s getting right now, all over the world, are insane.”

Johnson suggested the surge is being driven heavily by Filipino support around the globe. “I’m assuming it’s the Filipino community, wherever they are in that part of the world, that just have to see her. It’s crazy. I can’t think of anything like it. It’s like Fonseca, but I think it’s bigger than Fonseca.”

John Isner agreed, pointing to the scale of support in the Middle East. “The Doha crowds were insane for her last week. Insane.”

Johnson added that the hype has extended well beyond tennis. “She’s already been on the cover of Vogue and she’s playing well right now too. If she wins a Slam, it would be one of the biggest things in the world.”

Isner believes the sport may have underestimated the size of the market she represents. “It’s everywhere. Absolutely. It’s a huge market. I think a lot of people underestimated how big that market is. They finally have a star on the women’s side of the game. It would be the same if they had a men’s star as well. There are some huge markets with untapped potential. They just need players to emerge and make a name for themselves. That’s what Alex has done so far.”

Johnson also noted how quickly her profile has changed. “She was unknown until Miami last year. I think we can all kind of agree on that. But now she’s like an absolute rock star, even though she’s not top 10 in the world.”

The impact is already affecting scheduling decisions. “When you get to these tournaments now, she has to play on centre court, just like that Fonseca issue in Miami last year, because her crowds are so big. Maybe not centre court everywhere, but at least the second biggest court at any venue she goes to. She’s drawing that big of a crowd.”

Querrey floated whether that might spark jealousy among higher-ranked players, but Isner dismissed that idea.

“I don’t think there’s jealousy. It’s just part of it. You’ve got to get some years on the ground.”

The conversation then shifted to Jessica Pegula’s WTA 1000 title in Dubai, where she defeated Elina Svitolina 6–2, 6–4 in the final after beating Amanda Anisimova in the semi-finals.

“I think this was a really important win for Jess, just to solidify her confidence and belief that she can win these big events,” Johnson said.

While acknowledging that Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek were not in the draw, Johnson stressed the significance of the title. “It’s still a really good tournament for Jess. She didn’t play the week prior, she needed some rest after Australia, which is good. She goes over there, gets a title.”

With a Slam still missing from her résumé, Johnson believes wins like this matter. “What’s left for her to accomplish is winning a Slam and consistently winning these types of events. It’s not a Slam, but it gives you the confidence to go out there and take care of business.”

He described her final performance as emphatic. “In the final, she was clinical. She beat Svitolina in just over an hour. From start to finish, she was playing her best tennis and taking care of business.”

Johnson also laughed about Pegula’s post-match celebration moment with coach Mark Knowles. “She goes over to celebrate and Knowles doesn’t give her the time of day for a couple seconds. He’s just scrolling through Instagram or whatever he was doing. I was like, you’ve got to be more on the ball.”

Coco Gauff’s semi-final run in Dubai also came under discussion, particularly her continued struggles on serve.

“It was a good result,” Isner said. “But she struggled in the semifinal again and was having issues on her serve again.”

Despite the scrutiny, Isner believes perspective is important.

“If you told her at the start of the tournament she would make the semis, I don’t think she would take that, she would want the title. But she’s still trending in the right direction for someone of her calibre. People are saying she’s struggling. I don’t really see it that way.”

Johnson, however, pointed to a visible mid-match exchange with her serve specialist coach, Gavin McMillan.

“It looked like she was saying, ‘I’ve done everything you’ve asked and I’m still serving like this.’ That’s not what you want to be saying mid match.”

He added with self-awareness, “I said that to my coaches a lot, ‘Why am I playing so bad?’ But that was more of a me issue. She’s much better than me. So you would expect her not to have those kinds of in match meltdowns.”

Jack Sock then delivered one of the lighter moments of the episode, referencing the parody X account Tennis Centel, which is notorious for posting fabricated tennis headlines.

“I got Tennis Centeled by one of her second serves in the middle of the net,” Sock said.

“It said something like, ‘Coco Gauff records the fastest serve in women’s tennis history.’ I click it and it’s her second serve almost shanking into the right side of the net and her getting mad. I got Tennis Centeled again.”