I don’t have the capacity yet: Alex Eala explains Venus Williams withdrawal

At the Mubadala Citi DC Open, one of the biggest talking points was Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala’s last-minute withdrawal from the doubles event, where she was initially set to partner American tennis legend Venus Williams. The decision left fans and observers puzzled, but the young star has now explained the reason behind her withdrawal.

Speaking at a press conference, Eala said she did not feel capable of giving her best physically and mentally in both events.

“I have so much respect for Venus. I am so grateful for every opportunity that I have to be around her, to learn from her, to hit with her,” Eala said.

“But I do think this is my first week coming back, and I think that Venus is someone who deserves a partner who can give their all physically, emotionally, mentally when they’re on court with her.

“I think right now I can only do that for singles. I don’t have the capacity yet to be able to give that in both singles and doubles. I’m really grateful for the opportunity that I had, or have, and hopefully we see more of it in the future.”

Williams was repaired with Diana Shnaider on Sunday after Eala revealed that she was not yet ready to compete in both singles and doubles during her return to action in Washington.

Eala and Williams had previously teamed up at the Bad Homburg Open last month, reaching the quarter-finals in their first tournament together.

Despite the unexpected change in plans, Williams made it clear there were no hard feelings and expressed hope that she and Eala would have another chance to play together.

“We had a great time playing at Bad Homburg, so we were looking forward to playing again,” the former world No. 1 said during a pre-tournament press conference.

“Didn’t work out this time. Would love for there to be future times. We’ll see what happens.”