"If you're mentally 5% below your best because you're tired, it has an effect": Alexandra Eala hit Wimbledon wall as Michael Stich sees glaring improvement needed

Alexandra Eala saw her Wimbledon campaign ended by Jasmine Paolini who won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 and saw the Filipino hit a metaphorical brick wall in her pursuit of grass court glory.

But Michael Stich saw a blatant issue in her game which saw her not able to continue on and meant that she had to feasibly give a lot more to the cause without the rewards.

Stich spoke on the German coverage of Wimbledon on Prime Video and said that as much as he'd love to have seen her continue, it also highlights that in the end, the best players have made it to the latter stages and that Eala wasn't one of those. "Paolini was more consistent and Eala made a few mistakes at the key moments. In the end, the better and more aggressive player deserved to win today. Eala has played a lot of tennis and looked a little tired. She relies on mental creativity, and that faded slightly towards the end," said Stich as per Prime Video.

"As for outside pressure, I see it differently. Pressure comes from yourself and the expectations you place on yourself. Of course people want you to win, but if you're mentally five per cent below your best because you're tired, it has an effect. Those are the tiny differences at this level. It's a shame Eala is out, but ultimately you want the very best players in the tournament. It's like the French Open—a qualifier reaching the final is a wonderful story, but in the end we want to see the best players competing."

He also gave his point of view mid match on what issue Eala had and that is her serve which Stich called weak. But he did compare her to a former Grand Slam champion in Angelique Kerber in that she doesn't have one big weapon, she is good in equal measure at certain parts and in reality fighting for points.

"Eala has a weak serve, so she doesn't get many free points. She has to work incredibly hard for every single point. She's a very intelligent player, very smart on grass, and that's what makes her dangerous. Paolini has more power. She played more consistently and won the opening set because of that extra power. I think Eala will stick to her game because she's very good at moving the ball around and forcing errors. She reminds me a little of Angelique Kerber. She doesn't have one huge weapon—no devastating forehand, backhand or serve—but she's a fighter who reads the game exceptionally well."