Greg Rusedski shares what he noticed about Alex Eala during her latest US Open press conference

Which stadium should Alex Eala play her next US Open match on?

Grandstand, Louis Armstrong, or Arthur Ashe…

After the match, Eala spoke to the press about the US Open crowds and how she is dealing with the pressure this year.

Former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski has now delivered his verdict on Eala’s latest press conference.

Greg Rusedski was impressed by Alex Eala’s ‘demeanour and composure’ in her press conference

During the latest episode of ‘Off Court with Greg Rusedski‘, he said the following.

“Well, she’s the biggest superstar in the women’s game, no question about it at the moment,” said Rusedski.

“She’s box office; she handles the pressure exceptionally well.

“The roof was closed; she talked about it in her press conference.

“What I found about her press conference was the demeanour, the composure.

“She got asked a question, and she said, yes, it feels different this year, but she’ll manage it, and she knows what she needs to do.

“She talked about working on her serve and improving her serve; her service speed numbers have gone up as well.

“She’s looking to get better and she likes a big stage.”

Rusedski also commented on Eala’s US Open draw, looking ahead to her potential third-round and fourth-round matchups.

“It was an impressive performance in her opening round, and she’s only going to go from strength to strength. What I like about her, she’s got that confidence and that humbleness, and that’s a dangerous combination,” he said.

“From my point of view, she’s on a crash course to meet Coco Gauff in the fourth round and possibly become the first Filipina to be in the quarter-finals of a major.

Which player worries you the most in Alex Eala’s US Open draw?

“She’s playing that well; I was impressed with her movement, her returns of serve, her groundstrokes; she was impressive.

“But before we get to that, she’s got [Iva] Jovic in her section as well, who she played a little exhibition match with.

“There is all this intrigue, but she is improving all the time; this is exciting. She’s box office; she’s on all the posters in New York City, which is unbelievable. Nike has used her in all the campaigns, which shows you her popularity and her global appeal.”

Rusedski then weighed in on the debate of which stadium Eala should play on in New York.

During a recent episode of Nothing Major, Sam Querrey argued Eala deserved to play on Arthur Ashe Stadium, while John Isner and Steve Johnson disagreed.

Rusedski is on Querrey’s side.

“There was discussion on other platforms and podcasts on whether they will put her on Louis Armstrong or on Ashe; there’s lots of people thinking she’s the main show at the moment, and there’s others saying, no, this is America, we’re not going to put her onto the main show courts every single match,” he said.

“But I think she deserves it; she’s the new kid on the block, she’s for real, she’s nothing but positive for our sport.”

Eala played her first-round match on Louis Armstrong Stadium, but could yet be promoted to Arthur Ashe Stadium for her second-round clash with Oleksandra Oliynykova.

Greg Rusedski assesses Alex Eala’s development as she reaches US Open second round

Rusedski was then asked for his thoughts on Eala’s development, particularly on her serve.

“I think it just shows her mentality, her work ethic, and her desire,” he said.

“The other thing is, I think that serve is only going to get better.

“Imagine when she has the off-season, then she’s going to have about a month to six weeks to keep improving that serve and get it better, and once that becomes a weapon, then she’s going to pop into the top five and higher and so forth.

“You look at one thing: you look at someone’s demeanour after the match, how they handle the press conference, you look at their body language, how they walk, talk, and behave on court; she has got all those things of a great champion. She already has that stature, and to have that at such a young age, is so, so impressive.

“I think we are going to see the Eala career go for many, many years at the top of the women’s game in the top 10. This is exciting news; we needed somebody up there, new, that was fresh, that can come to the party with the Sabalenkas, Rybakinas, Gauffs, and all those players.

“And to have a Filipina, which we’ve never had before in the men’s or the women’s game, is exciting. Her fanbase is just amazing; anywhere she goes in the world, she is the main name globally already.

“Imagine if she gets into the top five or the top 10 in the world; how much bigger is she going to become? And that could happen very soon.

“Why not here at the US Open?

“The bad news for her is that Coco Gauff looked very, very good in her opening round match.”

Eala could play Coco Gauff in the last 16, but will first meet Oliynykova in the second round on Thursday, September 3.