John McEnroe believes Alex Eala’s serve is a “liability” and is holding her back from joining the current WTA leaders.
Eala has just added a bronze medal to her career honours list, having achieved the feat at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. She represented the Philippines at the event, opting to skip the China Open in Beijing, where the likes of Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have all been involved.
However, while Gauff remains at the WTA 1000 tournament, both Rybakina and Sabalenka have suffered early exits. Tennis legend McEnroe has now given his verdict on rising star Eala, suggesting that while her serve has gotten better, there is still plenty of room for improvement.
John McEnroe thinks Alex Eala’s serve is holding her back
Speaking on the Off Court With Greg Rusedski podcast, McEnroe said: “I am thinking back to what Filipino players have played at anywhere even close to this level and I cannot come up with anybody. There is something about her. She oozes with personality and competitiveness at the same time, which people gravitate towards.
“It feels as big as Manny Pacquiao was and they were saying he could run for President and win! It feels unbelievable. Everywhere she goes there is this huge following. The best thing is she is backing it up and competing so well. It’s a beautiful thing to watch. So just from the standpoint of a tennis player, to see her learning and develop her skills is pretty awesome.
“Her serve is the liability. It has gotten better. But I will tell you, the sky is the limit with her. The movement is obviously extremely important with men’s and women’s. Is she a great athlete? Yes. But to be that A+, that is where we will find out if she is at that level. Not everybody is 6ft tall like Rybakina and Sabalenka and as fast as Coco Gauff, who covers the court. So that is the type of thing that will bring her to the next level.”
Eala will play at the Wuhan Open next, before taking on the Ningbo Open, Tokyo Open and Hong Kong Open. And as always, she can expect a huge following at every tournament thanks to her loyal and passionate fanbase.
Greg Rusedski disagrees with John McEnroe about Alex Eala
Former British number one Greg Rusedski has also shared his thoughts on the Filipina superstar, who claimed her maiden WTA title earlier this year at Washington. She is also currently 18th in the world rankings, her career-high. Rusedski thinks Eala is the best return-of-serve player right now, while he also disagrees with McEnroe about the 21-year-old’s serve.
“I don’t think it’s that bad,” he argued. “I think you have got to look at the women’s and men’s tour with regards to this serve. It is not abnormal to have so many breaks of serve. There is technical serves we have talked about in our last show that she can improve. I am sure in the off season she is going to make changes.
“The other advantage she has is that she is a lefty. You don’t win the tournaments like she did in Washington, beating five quality players, and so many great champions [with a bad serve]. But she will improve that aspect, I am sure the team is going to work on it.”
It is a busy period for the top 20 player, but Eala won’t play at the WTA Finals, meaning she should have plenty of time in the off-season to work on her serve, if she wishes to. For now, she can be very proud of her efforts on the WTA Tour, particularly that stunning run in Washington, where she beat the likes of Jessica Pegula and Naomi Osaka to lift the trophy.
