Criticism mounts over the possible WTA sanction against Eala

Alexandra Eala has found herself in an unexpected conflict after her intention to skip the China Open to compete in the Asian Games representing the Philippines. The young 21-year-old tennis player is an icon for her country, which makes her the mainstay for achieving a good result, although she risks receiving a $10,000 fine from the WTA for skipping one of the most important tournaments on the Asian tour. This has been harshly criticized by John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Steve Johnson, who do not understand how it has come to this point.

Eala is an absolute superstar in the Philippines, to the extent that at every tournament she attends, she seems like the local player due to all the support she receives from the stands. For that very reason, she has not hesitated for a second to attend the Asian Games, while the Philippine Tennis Association has requested an exception so she does not receive a fine, without having received a definitive verdict at the moment. In their podcast 'Nothing Major', Isner, Querrey, and Johnson have discussed it, as they see no sense in this fine considering she is not doing it to rest, but for a justified reason of force majeure.

"She should definitely play. If the WTA fines her, it would be the biggest stupidity. Don't fine her. I know in the past they haven't made exceptions for certain players, but there are different rules for everyone. It pains me to say it, but that's how it is," Johnson stated, to which Isner replied that "they should cancel the fine. Her ranking will drop because she is not playing". Additionally, Querrey added another point of view. "They also need stars, and she is one of the most important. They have a lot of influence in an individual sport. If she says, ‘If I get fined, I’ll skip more tournaments,’ we’ll see what happens if she says she will skip the other tournaments in Asia, where she will be the biggest star."

The WTA, between a rock and a hard place

The WTA is in a difficult position, as if they fine her, it could lead to controversy that would be far from over in the short term. It is true that in Asia, Eala is an absolute superstar, so the China Open will see diminished revenue with her absence with all that it entails. However, Alexandra cannot let her country down after all the support she receives daily, which is why she has decided to prioritize them over WTA ranking points despite being close to the top 10.

It is also worth noting the millions in losses the WTA has suffered this year, being on the brink of going into the red. Therefore, the organization is experiencing a critical moment that would suffer another heavy blow if they lose Eala on the tour where she can have the most media appeal. Still, the Filipino tennis player is determined to represent her country, even if that means receiving the fine, so the ball is in the court of the Women's Tennis Association to make a decision that will be known soon.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Aumentan las críticas por la posible sanción de la WTA a Eala