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McEnroe: Eala's serve is a liability
6 Oct
Summary
- McEnroe identifies Alex Eala's serve as a significant weakness.
- Rusedski disagrees, praising Eala's return of serve skills.
- Eala recently won a bronze medal at the Asian Games.
Tennis icon John McEnroe has stated that Alex Eala's serve is currently a "liability" hindering her potential to join the WTA's leading players. McEnroe's comments came despite Eala securing a bronze medal at the Asian Games, an event for which she opted out of the China Open.
Speaking on a podcast, McEnroe acknowledged Eala's personality and competitiveness, drawing parallels to Manny Pacquiao's popularity. He believes her serve requires improvement to elevate her game to the next level, suggesting that exceptional athleticism alone isn't enough.
Conversely, former British number one Greg Rusedski offered a different perspective. He disagreed with McEnroe's assessment of Eala's serve, praising her as potentially the best return-of-serve player currently. Rusedski pointed to her maiden WTA title in Washington as evidence that her serve is not a critical weakness.
Eala's upcoming schedule includes the Wuhan Open, Ningbo Open, Tokyo Open, and Hong Kong Open. With her WTA Finals participation concluded, she is expected to dedicate off-season time to refining her serve, a crucial aspect for her continued development on tour.
