Alexandra Eala is only just getting started on the tennis tour, and already she has found herself in and around the apex of the sport.
With such a meteoric rise has come added pressure, with many wondering if and when she might convert this undeniable talent into Grand Slam glory.
Her title in Washington earlier this summer represented her first at WTA Tour level, and was sandwiched in between two career-best runs at Wimbledon and the US Open. She is definitely progressing towards that ultimate goal, but still seems far from achieving such glory.
Pam Shriver remains optimistic though, and chatting with Dyan Castillejo for ABS-CBN News, she had huge praise for Alexandra Eala’s game before discussing her realistic Grand Slam title chances.
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Shriver began with a brief assessment of what makes Eala so special: “I feel like her movement is exceptional. I love the way she uses angles. A lot of left-handers through the years, and it can develop; they just develop the appreciation of spin and the use of spin really well.
“I also have seen a great improvement on some of her weaker shots. Let’s just use the serve. That was so vulnerable a couple of years ago.
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“But just overall, her attitude stays very positive.”
Then, highlighting the serve, Shriver explained how criticisms are not always fair, arguing: “Alex has a really good slice serve.
“It’s about spin and placement and disguise and varying the pace. There are a lot of things that go into making a great serve.
“And even if you don’t have a great serve, it’s really how you back it up. She backs it up really, really well. If she’s not having a good day serving, it doesn’t affect the rest of her game.”
Naturally, it will never be the most powerful, which Shriver admits.
However, her suggestion was to look at Angelique Kerber, who claimed three major titles without an outstanding serve.
Asked if Eala needs to improve that area of her game if she is to ever win a Grand Slam, Shriver claimed: “I think Alex Eala could learn a little bit from how Kerber won her major with that serve. And then kind of really lean on what makes you special, which, for me, is her defence; it’s her ability to take the ball early, willingness to come to net, the intangibles, her attitude.
“So when you put the whole package together, if she has the belief, anything’s possible.”
Eala was also praised for having a skill that Novak Djokovic did not until later in his career, in this same interview.
Pam Shriver says if she thinks Alex Eala’s Filipino fans are good for tennis
Later on in that same interview, the 21-time Grand Slam doubles champion then discussed Eala’s fans and all they have already done for tennis.
Asked if they were good for the sport, despite at times lacking the expected etiquette, Shriver argued: “When I saw Alex Eala play close up for the first time. I commentated on some of her matches and saw her on TV, but that was the first time, like, wow, right there. It was very impressive.
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“It can certainly have a lot [of impact on a player]. So much kind of depends on the opponent. If the opponent allows the crowd to get into their head, then it can really pay huge dividends, but, you know, for the most part, I feel like tennis players understand. Sometimes the crowd’s gonna be for them, sometimes not. And they need to just stay in their process.
“And I feel like the chair umpires too also know that they need to draw the boundaries, so that if there’s some Filipinos that are there that don’t understand tennis and some of the etiquette, but it’s okay. Like, we want so many people to come into our sport and enjoy it.”
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