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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider This is what Alex Eala needs to improve to crack the Top 10

This is what Alex Eala needs to improve to crack the Top 10

Published Apr 4, 2026 01:32 pm

At A Glance

  • In his latest podcast, Rusedski praised Eala's work ethic both on and off the court, noting that the 20-year-old Filipina standout still has plenty of room to grow.
Alex Eala. (File Photo/AP)
Alex Eala. (File Photo/AP)
Alex Eala has the potential to crack the Top 10, according to former British No. 1 and US Open finalist Greg Rusedski and former world No. 9 Andrea Petkovic.
In his latest podcast, Rusedski praised Eala’s work ethic both on and off the court, noting that the 20-year-old Filipina standout still has plenty of room to grow.
“She’s still young -- let’s not forget that. She has many more years to develop, and I think she’s too good of a player not to make it into the top 10,” said the 52-year-old Rusedski, who ranked as high as No. 4 during his professional career.
“The good thing is she (also) has a good attitude. She’s working hard and she’s putting in the effort,” he added.
Read: Alex Eala drops to No. 45
A 15-time career singles titlist, Rusedski also noted that Eala must sharpen her serve to hold her own against top-level players.
“I think she needs to improve her serve. You know the serve gets you on the front foot from the start and she’s going to get physically stronger. She’s got to get more time in the gym, build up the muscles, get a little bit quicker. She’ll start hitting the ball harder,” Rusedski said.
Tennis journalist Kevin Palmer of Tennis 365, a guest of the podcast, agreed, stressing its importance as Eala advances deeper into tournaments.
“I would say, she gets to a certain point in a draw and then suddenly she comes up against a player who’s physically bigger and stronger, hits the ball that little bigger and she’s not quite able to do that. I mean, it’s possible to overcome that,” Palmer said.
Their observation was on point following Eala’s 6-0, 6-2 loss to 13th seed Karolina Muchova in the Round of 16 of the Miami Open last week.
Petkovic, in a separate podcast with former top 20 player Alison Riske-Amritraj, also highlighted Eala's need to upgrade her serve.
“We have seen what she can do when she has a good serving week. Against the big hitters like (Aryna) Sabalenka, (Elena) Rybakina and even Coco Gauff, who returns so well, it is going to be really difficult to defend your serve, despite her being one of the best returners in the game,” said Petkovic, a two-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist.
“I think that is the one thing and then the sky has no limit,” she added.
Eala opens her clay season at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz on April 6 to 12.

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