While tennis is an individual sport with athletes chasing individual titles, playing for one’s own nation holds a different kind of emotion. Alexandra Eala also expressed her wish to do the same, wanting to represent the Philippines at the ongoing Asian Games in Japan.
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But the Filipino star risks being fined by the WTA for missing a mandatory event at the China Open. This has put the World No. 18 in the crosshairs of the WTA, a topic discussed by former American icons like Steve Johnson, Sam Querrey, and John Isner.
“I mean, she should play it. I mean, this is big,” said Johnson on the Nothing Major podcast. “You hear about it, like, kind of every few years, like, it’s big over there, but for y’all, like, 1,000% she should play it, and the WTA, if they fine her, that’s the dumbest thing that they could do. Like, this is, like, this is the dumbest thing. Do not fine her. Like, I know that they’ve not made exceptions in the past for certain players, but there’s different rules for everyone. I hate to say it.”
Johnson is not wrong in supporting Eala’s wish to represent her country. The Filipino star’s popularity has grown by leaps and bounds across the world, especially in Asia, as she has moved up the rankings by making good runs at Slams and even winning her maiden title in Washington this year. She has tasted success at the Asian Games as well, winning bronze in both the singles and mixed doubles events back in 2022.
Another key point to consider is Eala’s ranking, which will make her the top seed at the Asian Games if she enters the draw. This will increase her chances of winning the gold, which will be huge news for her country and for her, as winning at the Asian Games would earn her an automatic spot at the 2028 Olympics.
However, as John Isner pointed out on the show, should Eala skip the China Open in favor of the Asian Games, the Filipino star would be handed a zero-point penalty and a sizeable fine. Skipping a mandatory event without a medical reason carries strict WTA sanctions, meaning that Eala’s ranking will be based on her seventeen best results on the Tour rather than eighteen, with the zero awarded in that final slot, which will remain on the Filipino’s ranking for one year.
“I’m with you. They should waive the fine and the zero-pointer,” said Isner on the show. “That’s crazy. I mean, her ranking is going to dip by virtue of not playing.”
Isner’s fears for Eala’s ranking are not unfounded, as a point penalty might hinder the Filipino player’s efforts to improve her ranking. However, given some of Eala’s top results over the last year, her eighteenth-best result is likely to be one of the early-round exits at any of the WTA 250 events or any of the Challenger events, which will mean that the point penalty will not be as detrimental for Eala.
As for Isner’s hope that the WTA would grant Eala a special exemption, the chances of that happening are slim. The WTA has no precedent for granting players the freedom to play at national events (barring the Billie Jean King Cup and the Olympics) at the expense of skipping mandatory events. At the Asian Games this year, the WTA did not grant a special exemption to Janice Tjen, with the Indonesian player withdrawing her name to avoid the point penalty.
However, Eala has the full support of her nation’s federation, which has made it clear that the World No. 18 will be at the Asian Games regardless of whether the WTA exempts her.
Alexandra Eala Has the Backing of Her National Federation
The Philippine Sports Commission has provided its full backing to Eala, with chairman Patrick Gregorio voicing his public support while the WTA mulls the exemption request submitted by the Eala camp.
“Rest assured of the PSC’s all-out support. We will continue to assist Alex, PHILTA, and the POC in every way we can,” Gregorio said in a press meet.
However, it remains to be seen if the WTA will be flexible in this case, but given Eala’s massive popularity and the fact that she is missing a WTA 1000 event in Asia, the women’s tennis body will not want to miss out on the opportunity cost of getting Eala to Beijing. Sam Querrey hinted at Eala’s popularity on the show and suggested that the Filipino could leverage the same against the WTA.
“She’s also, like, these stars, and she’s, like, one of the biggest. They got a lot of leverage in an individual sport. Be like, do you guys fine me, by the way? I’ll just skip more tournaments,” said Querrey on the Nothing Major podcast. “Let’s see how that goes for you. I’ll skip the other tournaments in Asia, where she’s going to be, like, the biggest star.”
All throughout 2026, Eala has shown her ability to sell out the biggest tennis arenas in the world, including at Grand Slams. Scheduling her on an outer court at the Australian Open led to massive overcrowding in Melbourne, which is why, by the end of the Grand Slam season, the Filipino was playing on courts like Center Court and, during the night session, on Arthur Ashe at the US Open.