Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga: Tennis stars Alexandra Eala and Iga Swiatek pick their dream celebrity guests at matches

Alexandra Eala’s breakout run at Indian Wells is already one of the most talked-about stories in tennis this week. The Filipina teenager has powered into the round of 16 in her debut appearance at the prestigious WTA Tour event, drawing loud support from fans in California along the way. With every match, the crowds around her court seem to grow bigger, a sign of just how she is becoming one of the sport’s most exciting young personalities.
While the results on court have grabbed headlines, Eala recently sparked a different kind of conversation off the court. In a fun social media challenge shared on Instagram, several WTA players were asked to name three celebrities they would love to see watching them play. The reaction went viral among tennis fans, offering a glimpse into the personalities and pop culture interests of some of the tour’s biggest stars. For Eala, the dream guest list includes two global icons and one rising music star.

From Josh Allen to Zendaya and Rihanna: WTA stars reveal their starry wishlist

When it was her turn to answer the question on Instagram, Eala revealed that she would love to see a fellow Filipino legend cheering from the stands. “I would pick Manny Pacquiao, Bad Bunny, and I would pick Olivia Dean.” The responses from other players on the WTA Tour were just as interesting. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek went with a trio of huge names from music and Hollywood. “Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga. Emma Stone.” Jessica Pegula mixed sports with pop culture when she shared her picks. “Well I’ll say Josh Allen because that would be cool and there’s a connection there. “Maybe like Sidney Crosby, hockey player, I was pretty obsessed with him a while ago. And then maybe I’d throw in like Joe Jonas or something, because I’m a big Jonas Brothers fan.”
Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina also joined in, mentioning someone she had recently met. “I just met Lily Collins yesterday, so it would be nice to see her and maybe even her dad. Zendaya, I think she was here, but she didn’t get to see my match, so hopefully she could come. Yeah, Daniel Radcliffe.”
Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff also shared their celebrity wish lists. Sabalenka said, “Anna Wintour, Lily Collins, of course, and Hailey Bieber,” while Gauff kept it simple with three of the biggest stars in entertainment: “Rihanna, Beyonce and Zendaya.”
Some of the younger names on tour joined the challenge as well. Teenage star Mirra Andreeva revealed that one legendary tennis figure would always make her list. “I would probably go for Ryan Gosling. I would go for Emma Stone, and let’s choose Roger [Federer], he’s always one of the celebrities that I would pick.”
For WTA Tour fans, moments like these keep the conversation going off the court. And if stars like Pacquiao, Swift or Federer ever showed up to watch, it would easily become another viral moment.