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Alex Eala’s serve has long been identified as the single part of her game holding her back from climbing to the very top of the WTA rankings
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Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski has since highlighted a different part of her game that he believes could offset that weakness entirely
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Eala enters the US Open as a career-high 17th seed, having also climbed to a career-high ranking of world No. 18, aided further by Victoria Mboko’s injury withdrawal
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Reflecting on her breakout season during her pre-tournament press conference in Cincinnati, Eala struggled to single out one signature moment
August 25, (THEWILL) — Alex Eala’s serve remains the one piece of the puzzle standing between her and the very top of women’s tennis, but according to those watching closely, it might not be the liability it first appears and it’s far from the only tool in her arsenal that matters.
Rick Macci, who coached Serena and Venus Williams during their formative years, was blunt about it on X, identifying Eala’s serve as the sole technical barrier keeping her out of the sport’s upper echelon. It’s a fair assessment on paper.
🤔Legendary coach Rick Macci believes Alex Eala will be in the mix for the world No 1 if she sorts out her serve.
🔗Link In First Comment#WTA | #Tennis pic.twitter.com/3LDolKHxZA
— Tennis365 (@tennis365com) August 22, 2026
But anyone who’s actually had to face it might disagree with how simple a fix that really is.
During her first-round win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse at the Cincinnati Open, commentary picked up on just how deceptive the shot can be in practice.
“It might look easy on the TV screen but, in real life, a lot of players don’t like to handle it,” one co-commentator said, describing how the serve “twirls and swirls around” in ways that make it awkward to return cleanly on both hardcourts and grasscourts.
[2/2 – EALA ON SERVE]
Watch Alex as she slides through the last match to advance in the R2 of the Linz Open 2026.#AlexEala #LinzOpen2026 #LinzOpen pic.twitter.com/BAZ5FiuPob
— TennisCutie | Alex 🇵🇭👑 (@ACavemanReturns) April 7, 2026
Still, it’s what happens after the serve hers or her opponent’ where Eala might already have found her real weapon.
Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski, who reached the US Open final back in 1997, believes her return of serve is genuinely special, and he isn’t shy about saying so.
“She does something nobody else does. She takes this return of serve so, so early,” Rusedski said on his podcast, Off Court With Greg Rusedski.
Speaking specifically about players ranked between 10 and 20 in the world, he explained why that early contact point matters so much.
She said, “We always know that the best are the fastest because they have more time, more options.
Rick Macci said, if youcan get that serve technically good enough, she’s going to be number one, because she’s going to be able to get those first three strikes.”
Rusedski went further, framing the gap between the game’s elite and the chasing pack as being about far more than raw shot-making.
He stated, “My point is, between the ears for the people who are like 20 to one, and also a little bit of tools here and there. Like, look at a guy like Alex De Minaur, who maximises, lightning fast speeds. But the mentality is just second to none.”
That kind of mental edge is exactly what’s carried Eala through a breakout 2026 season.
She heads into the US Open as a career-high 17th seed, with a career-high ranking of world No. 18 a position boosted further by Victoria Mboko’s injury withdrawal, which nudged her up a spot in the seedings.
She’s also added the mixed doubles draw to her schedule this fortnight, teaming up with Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime as part of her preparation for the year’s final Grand Slam.
The season has already delivered no shortage of standout moments, something Eala herself struggled to whittle down when asked during her pre-tournament press conference in Cincinnati, where she’d go on to reach the third round before falling to world No. 10 Amanda Anisimova.
Asked to name the most surreal moment of her rise, she found it nearly impossible to choose between her maiden WTA 500 title in Washington and her stunning upset of reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek on Centre Court.
“It’s very, very difficult to pick. It would have to be between Wimbledon and Washington, of course. I think playing on Centre Court and winning in such fashion, against a great player, it issomething I will never forget. It was my first win on Centre, so it was a crazy, crazy experience. And everyone says you’ll never forget your first title. So it’s kind of like my two babies that I want to pick!”
Olumide Atiba is a sports journalist with THEWILL, known for his keen news sense and compelling storytelling. He has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, well-structured reports that resonate with readers, with a strong focus on football coverage
