{"id":2753,"date":"2026-09-07T17:00:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T17:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/?p=2753"},"modified":"2026-09-07T17:00:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T17:00:57","slug":"is-alex-eala-the-wtas-best-returner-how-coco-gauff-aryna-sabalenka-and-the-rest-of-the-top-10-rank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tennisring.com\/?p=2753","title":{"rendered":"Is Alex Eala the WTA\u2019s \u2018best returner\u2019? How Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka and the rest of the top 10 rank"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alex Eala has been hailed as the WTA Tour\u2019s best returner in the world right now by former British No 1 Greg Rusedski.<\/p>\n

The former US Open<\/a> finalist also said the Filipina\u2019s game has shades of world No 1 Jannik Sinner and 22-time major winner Rafael Nadal.<\/p>\n

He said<\/a>, \u201cWhen I watch her, she reminds me a little bit of\u00a0<\/span>Rafael Nadal<\/a>; the intensity she has on the court. And you look at her positioning with her body.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s always at the same level with her height when she moves from the back of the court, almost a little bit reminiscent of the intensity of Rafael, but the level on height with the bending of the knees like\u00a0<\/span>Jannik Sinner<\/a>. So, it\u2019s a brilliant combination she has. And the mindset is second to none.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rusedski<\/a> later added, \u201cShe\u2019s probably the best return of serve player in the world at the moment. The way she can take it so early, take your time away. It doesn\u2019t matter if she\u2019s facing a big server or someone who\u2019s serving slow, she\u2019s willing to step in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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So, who is the best returner on the women\u2019s tour? That is not an easy answer. For instance, different players lead the way when it comes to first and second serve return points won, return games won, and return points won.<\/p>\n

For the percentage of first serve return points won, Clara Burel, who has played four matches this year and is ranked 416th, is top with 47.7%.<\/p>\n

The first big name that scores highly here is Coco Gauff<\/a> down in 20th, with 42.1%. Iga Swiatek<\/a> is 23rd on 41.5% and French Open champion Mirra Andreeva<\/a> is 29th at 41.1%.<\/p>\n

So to break this down in a more digestible way,\u00a0Tennis365<\/strong> has outlined where the top 10 WTA<\/a> players rank, plus Eala<\/a>, against the rest of the field, according to the WTA<\/a>\u2018s website. Below is the official top 10 ranking, plus Eala sitting in 18th.<\/p>\n

1) Aryna Sabalenka<\/h2>\n