Alex Eala’s emergence has become one of the most striking storylines in tennis, and every week she keeps winning, the attention around her seems set to grow further.

At the Washington Open final, the support for the Filipina was so strong that, even in Jessica Pegula’s home country, the atmosphere felt more like downtown Manila than a neutral setting. Pegula had already experienced that intensity in a three-set loss to Eala earlier this month, and she was candid about what it was like to face both the player and her travelling support.

“Just to see how far you’ve come over the last couple of years when we first played, to see the amazing fans that follow you every single place you go – it’s not fun to play against, but I do appreciate the really fun atmosphere.”

That reaction was echoed again in Toronto, where the crowd was eager to watch Eala in the Canadian Open. Caty McNally, who lost in three sets to Eala there, viewed the occasion differently and said it was a privilege to be involved. After the match, Eala was thanked for “letting me be a part of this”.

Eala’s growing fanbase has also been part of the discussion around her results. In Cincinnati, where she exited in the round of 32 to former Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova in another three-set match, Rennae Stubbs offered her view on how opponents should approach the challenge.

Stubbs, who has compared Eala’s relatively underpowered serve with that of Angelique Kerber, said dealing with the crowd is only part of the issue, alongside the quality of her groundstrokes and the first shot after serve.

On The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, she said, “You have to be mentally prepared to deal with the crowd. Not only Alex Eala’s ability and talent to take the ball on and redirect the ball really well, much like Angie Kerber used to do.

“If she allows Alex Eala to move around the court, she will lose.”

Stubbs also repeated her belief that the serve remains an area to watch, while noting opponents must learn how to handle the lefty delivery better.

Leading injury prevention and athlete welfare specialist Stephen Smith has described Emma Raducanu’s leg stress fracture as “the worst case scenario” for the British player.

Raducanu has been out of action since her straight-set loss to Donna Vekic in the Queen’s Club Championships final on 14 June. Her withdrawal from Wimbledon came on the eve of the tournament, and it was then revealed that she had sustained a grade four stress fracture in her right shin.

The 23-year-old later withdrew from the 2026 US Open nearly a month before the event began, after also pulling out of the WTA 1000 tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati. So far in 2026, the world No 59 has played 21 matches and holds an 11-10 record.

Smith, founder and CEO of Kitman Labs, said the injury sits at the most serious end of the scale. “A grade four stress fracture is the most serious classification. It indicates a near complete break — it doesn’t get much more serious than that,” he explained.

He added that the likely recovery period is substantial. “Generally, the recovery windows for an injury like that are anywhere from eight to 16 weeks, and often, it can even take longer.

“Maybe in other sports that are using other surfaces, it may be marginally less impactful, but the types of courts, the hard courts and hard surfaces that she’s been playing on… it’s probably the worst case scenario for someone like her.

“To have that in your shin, rather than even in your foot, it’s pretty indicative of some significant level of overload.”

Raducanu’s 2026 season problems were preceded by an early ending to her 2025 campaign in mid-October, when physical issues at Wuhan and Ningbo affected her. Her preparations for this season were then disrupted by a bone injury in her right foot that limited training.

Smith said that interruption may have helped set the stage for the breakdown. “One of the risks of having a shortened or disrupted pre-season is it doesn’t allow you to build that base that you need,” he said.

“Obviously, that was the case for her, and unfortunately, that’s resulted in a breakdown. And an injury like this, it’s not a single event, it’s a degenerative thing where there’s multiple overloads.

“That would tell us that, certainly, the base needed for what was happening wasn’t there, and the result is what we’re seeing right now.

“So, I think we can suggest that the interruption to her pre-season has now reared its head.”

Smith had issued a similar warning earlier in the year, saying the disrupted preparation could have “a meaningful impact on the entire season”, and he pointed to the possibility of a stress fracture if the area was overloaded.

Andy Roddick has urged restraint after Novak Djokovic’s early exit in Cincinnati, suggesting the result should not be read as a major warning sign with the US Open approaching.

Djokovic fell 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to world No 50 Thiago Agustin Tirante in his opening match at the Masters 1000 event last week. He controlled the first set, but as the contest wore on in the punishing afternoon heat and humidity in Mason, Ohio, he was visibly affected physically for extended stretches.

Following the defeat, Djokovic said he has been living with a health issue that has brought “a lot of issues.” He explained: “It’s just a condition that I have, health-wise, that has been bothering me for the past couple of years. A lot of issues, especially when it is humid and it is hot,” said Djokovic.

At 39, Djokovic now shifts his attention to the US Open, where he will attempt to become the oldest Grand Slam singles champion in tennis history.

Roddick addressed the loss on his Served podcast and said he hoped more would eventually be known about the specific problem.

“I hope we learn more about what these specific issues are at some point,” said the 2003 US Open champion.

He also argued that the bigger picture matters more than one defeat in Cincinnati. “But irrespective of an issue that he has physically, [he’s] 39, you’re not playing matches. You rock up at Cincy, you play a guy who’s playing every week right now.

“He’s not getting out of the corners with a big shot, like when Tirante rips one to his forehand. Novak’s trying to hit it hard to get out of it, it’s not like he’s settling in for the long haul.

“Does this matter for anyone less than Novak in the entire universe — what he does at a Masters 1000? No.

“Most likely I am going to look at his draw at the [US] Open and be like, ‘Oh, he’s probably going to the semis.’

“Does it matter if he beats Tirante and beats one more person? Not really. I am happy that he’s in Cincinnati because – worst-case scenario – now he has two weeks where I know he is going to be in heat and playing practice sets against guys that are like 10 and 20 in the world.

“Does he need match conditions as much as everyone else in the world? No. Does he need to know how to navigate a five setter? No.

“Does he need to make sure he’s right physically… I don’t care who you are, going from playing practice sets in Greece against some person who is 600 in the world and then showing up and having a guy who can rip your head off — I don’t care who you are — you have to be playing against the competition that’s the best in the world with some sort consistency.

“So, I don’t know — he will be fine. I’m looking at the weather for New York, it’s going to be 75 degrees, that’s a lot different than Cincinnati.

“I think he can probably get away with finding those reps in practice more than anyone else in the world.”