Alex de Minaur has enjoyed a successful start to the season, in which he is doing his best to keep tabs on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Sinner has been underwhelming in 2026 so far, at least for his very high standards, while his main rival Alcaraz has been dominating men’s tennis.
Alcaraz leads the way with Daniil Medvedev for ATP titles this season with two, while De Minaur is one of a number of players just behind the pair on one.
Still, Sinner arguably remains the clear standout alongside Alcaraz, but De Minaur is the man right behind the leading duo when it comes to one key area.
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Alex de Minaur behind only Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz for returning
The ATP focuses on three key statistical categories when rating its players; serving, return and pressure.
Over 52 weeks, Sinner leads serving and return, while Alcaraz leads pressure, highlighting their recent dominance in men’s tennis.
But there is positive news for De Minaur, who is currently third in the return leaderboard behind only Sinner and Alcaraz.
With remarkable pace and a fierce determination to never give up, his position is perhaps somewhat unsurprising, but nevertheless very impressive.
It should also give him great confidence going forward, with the sport desperately needing a player to challenge the dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz.
| Rank | Player | Return rating | % 1st serve return points won | % 2nd serve return points won | % return games won | % break points converted |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | 166.6 | 33.1% | 57.9% | 32.2% | 43.4% |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | 163.3 | 34.6% | 53.7% | 31.1% | 43.9% |
| 3 | Alex de Minaur | 157.5 | 31.9% | 54.4% | 28.4% | 42.8% |
It’s clear Alex de Minaur can improve his serving
It remains to be seen whether or not De Minaur can indeed be that person to challenge the leading duo, but he’s certainly making a good effort of it.
He has, however, continuously failed to get over the line at major tournaments, with De Minaur yet to reach a Grand Slam semifinal.
Will Alex de Minaur ever reach a Grand Slam semifinal?
What is Alex de Minaur’s ceiling?
His impressive return game seemingly isn’t letting him down, and neither is his under-pressure game, with the Australian currently ranked ninth in that area.
Of much more concern should be his serving, for which De Minaur is ranked all the way down in 36th place.
It isn’t all doom and gloom, but it is an area that he should be eager to improve upon behind the scenes, although Indian Wells is rapidly approaching.
| Serve rating | % 1st serve | % 1st serve points won | % 2nd serve points won | % service games won | Avg. aces/match | Avg. double faults/match | |
| 273.5 | 57.1% | 73.2% | 56.9% | 84.6% | 4.0 | 2.3 | |
| Rank | 36th | 76th | 38th | 3rd | 20th | 69th | 54th |
De Minaur suffered a confidence blow with defeat in his first match in Acapulco, his first event since winning the Rotterdam title, but it may have been a blessing in disguise.
He should be fitter and more rested than many other players travelling to Indian Wells thanks to that early exit, although he arguably still would have preferred another lengthy run in Mexico.
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