ALSO carrying expectations far bigger than match results, Coco Gauff has become one one of the players Alex Eala has often been compared to.
While the two young stars, Gauff at 22 and Eala at 21, continue to make waves on the biggest stages, the American, in a press conference at the 2026 US Open, acknowledged she can’t quite relate to the weight the Filipina carries.
“No, I can’t (empathize) at all. Because she’s the first Filipino player to break a lot of barriers that she’s done, especially on the female side. When you speak of athletes from the Philippines, she’s doing similar things to what Manny Pacquiao is doing… I feel like she has more pressure than I do,” Gauff said of Eala.
It came in response to the question: “As someone who carries the hopes of the American nation on your shoulders, can you empathize with what she has to cope with, with the massive Filipino support she gets?”
Gauff, one of the highest-paid women’s tennis players right now, explained she is fortunate to come from a country with a deep tennis tradition, where icons had already paved a path for the next generation.
Eala, meanwhile, is a trailblazer for all Philippine tennisters.
So when asked about the pressure Eala consistently faces, the two-time Grand Slam champion didn’t pretend to understand.
If anything, Gauff believes the Filipina has it harder.
“I’m lucky to be from the U.S. where we had a lot of icons to look up to. People who have already broken down doors for me to be here where I am. I can’t empathize in that aspect,” she said.
“The only way I can is maybe just like the hype of everyone expecting you to win every single match. I guess I can empathize on that standpoint. But I definitely think she has more pressure, from the outside looking in, she has more pressure.”
Alex and Coco as friends
At the same time, Gauff was glad to share her relationship with Eala has grown into a friendship.
The two have shared the court as doubles partners in the Italian Open, faced each other twice with a win apiece, and gotten to know each other away from competition, most recently over dinner in Toronto.
“As far as our relationship, Alex and I are friends. Her family reminds me so much of mine. She also has a brother. Both of her parents are usually with her at tournaments,” Gauff said.
“She’s just such a cool, nice girl, and someone I’d like to get to know even more.”
And while the world No. 4 may not fully comprehend the burden her now-good friend willingly put on her shoulders, Gauff has nothing but respect for Eala.
“I have a lot of respect for her and what she’s doing,” she continued. “But I can’t really empathize, I feel like she has more pressure than I do.”
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