Serena Williams’ former coach says one area of Alex Eala’s game is ‘average’ as she fails to win Asian Games gold

Rick Macci, Serena Williams' former coach, has expressed that one aspect of Alex Eala's game is deemed 'average' compared to other top players in women's tennis. Despite Eala's impressive performance, reaching the bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, Macci noted her movement as a potential limiting factor.

The top seeds and gold-medal favorites Wang Xiyu and Zhang Shuai both defeated Eala in the semi-finals. Macci praised Eala's exceptional skills, such as her ability to control the center of the court, eat serves, and maintain mental composure, but highlighted her average movement as a drawback. While elite servers like Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka possess powerful serves that aid their success, Macci believes Eala's lack of exceptional movement may prevent her from realizing her full potential.

In fact, she currently ranks 18th in the WTA rankings and has defeated seven top-10 players this season. With a strong opportunity to climb the rankings at the Wuhan Open, Eala will be eager to secure her first matches at this prestigious event.