Pam Shriver sees a useful template for Alexandra Eala in Angelique Kerber's career. Speaking to ABS-CBN News's Dyan Castillejo, as reported by TenisBrasil, the former doubles No. 1 argued that Kerber reached the top of the rankings and won three Grand Slam titles without a dominant serve.
Shriver did not write off Eala's serve. She described the slice as a real asset and said spin, placement, variation and changes of pace do much of the work a bigger serve often does. She also noted that the serve was a weakness two years ago but has since improved, which is the more useful way to read it.
The advice is about where Eala builds her results. Shriver pointed to her defence, her ability to take the ball early, her willingness to come forward and her attitude. Those are the qualities that can carry a match when a point is not being finished on serve alone.
The stakes are concrete. Eala ended the season at a career-high No. 15 after starting the year at No. 53, won her first WTA title in Washington and reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. Her Hong Kong final finished as runner-up. Shriver's point is that the serve only needs to be good enough for the rest of her game to decide close matches.
