18-year-old Lilli Tagger did something on Sunday that 21-year-old Alex Eala has yet to do. That is, win a WTA event that is higher than 125 or a Challenger. That isn't a judgement, mind you, but merely a fact. Tagger won the Prague Open 250 against Daria Snigur.
The young Austrian's victory, though, led to a tweet by the X handle of Glucky Glucky, which might otherwise have gone unnoticed. The issue is that esteemed tennis analyst Jon Wertheim seemingly approved of the tweet by reposting it.
The social media post read, "18-year-old Lilli Tagger wins her first WTA Main Tour Title. Tagger has more titles than Alex Eala, who has zero titles to her name despite being industry-backed, having rich parents, being trained by Nadal, and getting countless 1000 wild cards to boost her ranking."
Jon Wertheim appears to endorse anti-Alex Eala message
One might wonder what having rich parents has to do with anything, as lots of athletes, well beyond the world of tennis, have wealthy parents. Having a lot of money also doesn't necessarily equate to high-end success on the courts, though having a good amount of cash can help one get high-end coaching and training. That's where the Nadal part comes in.
Eala also has seemingly gotten a bit of a tick-up where others might not. The wild cards don't come easily, especially for someone who hasn't had prior success at the events. Nor is the Filipina's ranking so high that she merits special attention.
She might one day get there, of course. She is still young enough to achieve high-level brilliance over many years. Globally, the argument against Alex Eala might make sense; why would she get more media love than Lilli Tagger would? Maybe that will change moving forward, though, as Tagger is set for a rankings bump after winning in Prague.
The Austrian will be inside the top 50 when the new WTA rankings are released, the youngest player that high. American Iva Jovic is also 18, but a couple of months older than Tagger.
Where Glucky Glucky and Jon Wertheim's endorsement of his message goes awry is in the general sense. Tennis fans might favor one player over another, but not actively dislike the one they don't favor. In other words, a person can be a huge fan of Lilli Tagger, but not aggressively root against Alex Eala, and vice versa.
More important is the health of the sport overall. Lots of positivity exists there, despite some on social media attempting to tear down specific players. That Eala is getting attention and Tagger is excelling, along with other young players like Jovic and Mirra Andreeva, means the WTA should be in great shape. That kind of happiness is something all tennis fans should agree on.
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