Former ATP Player Reveals What Alex de Minaur Must Do to Win Grand Slams against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Alex de Minaur crashes out of the Rolex Shanghai Masters after losing to Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.
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Alex de Minaur, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner (via X/The Tennis Letter)
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Alex de Minaur has impressed this season with his style of play and the manner in which he continues to break Australian tennis records. But he’s yet to win a Grand Slam in his career, and with the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the men’s tour, his chances of winning one have definitely reduced.
De Minaur is currently ranked World No.7 and is looking to break into the top five for the first time in his career. He has won three ATP 500 titles this season and has always displayed a consistent performance on the court. Also, he has reached the quarter-finals of all the Grand Slam tournaments in the last two years, but has never gone further than that.
This season, he reached the Australian Open and US Open quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Sinner and Alcaraz met in the final of the last three Grand Slams on tour. Both players have taken their rivalry to a higher level this season after producing consistent results on tour. Sinner claimed the Australian Open and Wimbledon, while Alcaraz won the French Open and the US Open.
In fact, Sinner and Alcaraz have won all eight Grand Slams in the past two years. The duo have been dubbed to continue with their dominance on tour as no men’s player has reached their level. However, Alcaraz leads Sinner in their head-to-head record 10-5 having won six of their last seven meetings on tour.
Former ATP player Mark Philippoussis was asked what De Minaur will do to compete with the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz in a Grand Slam event. The Australian legend revealed to ABC Australia that World No.7 must have to win best-of-five matches and seven consecutive matches in major tournaments to win the title:
You know, ‘What did I do last year that I could change next year?’ One thing with Alex and I’ve said this in the past, I’m very very open. We know the game he possesses. We know the heart he has. We know the physicality he brings to the game of tennis. Over two weeks for a grand slam. You’ve got to win seven best-of-five set matches to win a grand slam. You have to be able to win some cheaper points. You’re going to have to be able to not fight as hard for a service game.
De Minaur has never beaten Sinner or Alcaraz on tour. He holds a 0-11 head-to-head record against Sinner on tour, including his recent loss to the World No.2 at the China Open in Beijing. Against Alcaraz, he has a 0-4 head-to-head record. His first goal will be to beat either of them on tour.
Mark Philippoussis shares the little things Alex de Minaur can do to win a major title
Alex de Minaur has never won an ATP Masters 1000 title in his career. The closest he came to winning an ATP 1000 title was at the Canadian Open in 2023, where he reached the final but lost the trophy to Jannik Sinner. He has never reached the final of the event since then despite his consistent run on tour.
During the aforementioned interview, Mark Philippoussis revealed that there are simple things De Minaur can do to win Grand Slam titles. The former Grand Slam finalist added that he has to serve well and know how to win ‘easier’ points in a match:
At times, we know what he brings to the table, how oppressive he is. But I wish he could just get some easier points at stages where maybe a little bit of pop on the serve or stepping in a little bit early on the floor and backhand. Now that’s easier said than done. If I had to say one thing about him, is maybe seeing him work on taking balls a touch earlier, looking to be a little bit more aggressive.
De Minaur failed to reach the semi-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters after losing to Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 4-6. The World No.7 is yet to cement his place in the ATP Live Race To Turin having crashed out in the quarter-finals. He will be hoping to do so during the European indoor tournaments.
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