John McEnroe believes Alex Eala’s serve is a “liability” – but Greg Rusedski thinks that’s a bit of a stretch.
The seven-time major winner stressed that the “sky’s the limit” for Eala, but to succeed in this sport, you need the “full package”.
He told Off Court with Greg Rusedski, “If she wants to win one of these majors, she’s got to improve the serve. It’s a liability. It’s gotten better, but, you know, there’s more to come.”
Serena Williams’ coach Rennae Stubbs went a step further in July, saying the 21-year-old will “never” win a Grand Slam if her serve does not drastically improve.
However, Rusedski, who had one of the biggest serves in tennis history, has pumped the brakes on such proclamations, pointing to the star-studded scalps she claimed on her way to the Washington Open title in early August.
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The left-hander, who statistically has a serve that ranks outside the top 50 on the WTA Tour, beat former Olympic Gold medalist Qinwen Zheng, seventh seed Leylah Fernandez, second seed Elina Svitolina, third seed Naomi Osaka, and top seed Jessica Pegula in the American capital.
Former US Open finalist Rusedski thinks that Eala can improve her serve over the off season and as she is so young, the Filipina can take her game to new heights going forward.
He said on his podcast, “No, I don’t think it’s that bad [Eala’s serve]. I think you’ve got to look at the women’s and men’s tour with regards to the serve. It’s not abnormal to have so many breaks of serves and there’s technical things, which we talked about in our last show, she can improve. I’m sure in the off season, she’s going to make changes.
“The other advantage she has, she’s a lefty. You don’t win the tournaments the way she did in Washington, beating five quality players, Olympic champions, Jess Pegula, so many great champions to get through and then the hype she also had at the US Open, getting to the third round where she lost to [Iva] Jovic, which is going to be the battle of the next generation.
“Those two youngsters going head to head, [Eala reached the] fourth round of Wimbledon. She will improve that aspect. I’m sure the team’s going to work on it and I’m looking forward to the future for her and the way she finishes the rest of the season as well.”
Eala is 18th in the rankings and will hope to inch closer to the top 10 with a strong run at the upcoming Wuhan Open.
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