Alex Eala’s breakthrough Wimbledon campaign has convinced two former tennis stars that the young Filipina is more than capable of becoming a Grand Slam champion on the sport’s most prestigious stage.

Former Wimbledon quarterfinalist Greg Rusedski believes the 21-year-old has all the qualities needed to eventually lift the Venus Rosewater Dish after becoming the first Filipino, man or woman, to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam singles event.

“For me, the first Filipino to be in the fourth round of a major, man or woman, this will not be her last fourth round. Wimbledon for me is her best shot to go deep at a major and really have a chance to win it one day,” Rusedski said.

Eala’s inspiring run at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club ended in the Round of 16 after a loss to world No. 17 Jasmine Paolini, but not before she established herself as one of the tournament’s biggest breakout performers.

Rusedski was impressed not only by Eala’s shot-making but also by her fighting spirit despite playing through discomfort.

“She had some strapping on the elbow of the serving arm, which was a little disconcerting. She doesn’t make any excuses; she is in the Rafael Nadal mold, and I like her. She’s a great competitor, great returns, great groundstrokes,” Rusedski said.

The former world No. 4, however, believes Eala can become even more dangerous if she fine-tunes her serve, pointing to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic as a model.

“I look at her serve and feel she can loosen up the wrist position a bit like Novak Djokovic. I feel she can get the throwing position a bit better,” Rusedski said.

“She has a good swing on the serve, but has to find that balance of when and when not to hit it. It is something she needs to put more reps in and just make a slight tweak in the technique.”

Another tennis great, Martina Navratilova, also singled out Eala as one of the women’s players she enjoys watching the most, citing the Filipina’s growing influence on the sport.

“And Alex Eala, she is building a whole new craze in Southeast Asia and the Philippines. Bringing more fans into tennis,” Navratilova said after also praising rising stars Iva Jovic and Maja Chwalińska.

Fresh from the biggest result of her career, Eala is expected to take a short vacation in the Philippines, where she will meet fans on 15 July at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City before beginning her North American hard-court campaign.

Her next tournament will be the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, scheduled from 27 July to 2 August, as she resumes her push up the Women’s Tennis Association rankings.