Alex de Minaur Blasts ATP for Seeing Players as ‘Entitled’ for Speaking on Tennis Matters

Alex de Minaur is into his third consecutive Rotterdam Open semi-finals.

Alex de Minaur Blasts ATP for Seeing Players as ‘Entitled’ for Speaking on Tennis Matters

Alex de Minaur (Image via X/The Tennis Podcast)

In Short
  • Alex de Minaur criticizes ATP for labeling players as 'entitled' for voicing concerns about tennis balls.
  • The Rotterdam Open faces controversy over the quality of Head tennis balls used in the tournament.
  • De Minaur reaches the semi-finals after a tough match against Botic van de Zandschulp, marking his third consecutive semi-final appearance.

Just days after Daniil Medvedev made a mid-match complaint about the balls at the Rotterdam Open, Alex de Minaur has backed up his claims, criticizing the organizers for not listening to players’ opinions. The Australian had to battle hard against Botic van de Zandschulp to reach the semi-finals of the ATP 500 for the third consecutive time.

The ATP 500 event, which was supposed to feature Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, but the duo withdrew from the tournament days before kickoff after a hectic Australian Open campaign. The Rotterdam Open is one of the most high-profile events in the ATP calendar, with an array of legendary champions.

However, this year’s edition of the event has been engulfed in significant controversy over the quality of the Head tennis balls used. Medvedev, who is the fourth seed, was the first player to make the complaint during his three-set loss to Ugo Humbert on Monday (February 9).

Frenchman Arthur Fils then issued a staggering complaint after losing to De Minaur in straight sets in the second round. The match, which was expected to be a tough clash, turned out to be a simple victory for the Australian star. But on Friday (February 13), De Minaur got a first-hand taste of how difficult it was to play the ball as he had to come from a set down to beat Dutch star Botic van de Zandschulp.

After securing his place in the last four of the tournament, De Minaur was asked about his colleague’s statement about the Head tennis ball and whether he experienced the same thing. The top seed blasted the organizers for making it look like players felt entitled to complain about the ball, which has been the issue at the tournament:

I am super happy I found a way today, but it was difficult. To be honest with you, it is a tough one. I don’t know how much I can get into it, but look… we as players voice our opinions and ultimately do what we can to make the sport as a whole a better product. But whenever we talk about certain things with the purpose of growing the game and making it better… sometimes when we voice our opinion, we get viewed or described as being entitled because we have a lot of amazing things in this sport already.

This is not the first time that players have complained about the balls used on tour. In 2024, Medvedev criticized the use of slower and heavier balls in tournaments, which favor Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Last year, Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev noted that the hard-court surfaces on tour were becoming “super slow.”

Alex de Minaur proud of his mental toughness after reaching the semi-finals in Rotterdam

Alex de Minaur had to fight from a set down to beat Botic van de Zandschulp. After being broken by the Dutch star twice in the opening set, he found a way to win the third set after a tiebreak. The top seed struggled with van de Zandschulp’s big-hitting tactics for most of the match, but managed to prevail 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 at the Rotterdam Ahoy Arena.

Alex de Minaur
Alex de Minaur (via X/The tennis letter)

During the aforementioned press conference, De Minaur praised his great mental effort in battling frustration on the court and winning a match against an inspired home favorite to secure a place in the semi-finals of the Rotterdam Open. He equals a 50-year-old landmark of reaching the semi-finals of the tournament three consecutive times:

I managed to find some of my better tennis today at the end of the second set — another great mental effort. He’s such a tough opponent and he makes it so difficult. We both made each other play badly, in a sense. In these types of conditions where it’s hard to really hit through the court, you get some pretty long rallies and gruelling exchanges. I’m happy I got through.

De Minaur, who defeated Stan Wawrinka in the round of 16, will be seeking to reach the final of the Rotterdam Open for the third consecutive time in his career. The Aussie lost to Carlos Alcaraz last year and to Jannik Sinner in 2024. He will face Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the semi-finals of the ATP tournament.

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