Alex de Minaur is one of tennis’ most affable individuals, and has really improved his level over the last few years.
After all, he has gone from a plucky underdog who often fought above his weight to a consistent top-ten player who deserves to be mentioned alongside the contemporary greats of the sport.
And yet, despite the considerable strides forward he has made, he is still so far away from the top two players on the ATP Tour.
Both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are unbeaten against the Aussie, and have routinely knocked him out of elite events in crushing fashion.
Will Alex de Minaur ever crack the ATP top five?
However, it’s the Italian in particular who always draws the most praise from Alex de Minaur.
Alex de Minaur gives his verdict on Jannik Sinner’s 2025 season
Speaking to Tennis365 earlier this week, whilst at the UTS Grand Finals in London, the 26-year-old revealed what impresses him most about Sinner.
Whilst there’s plenty to choose from with a player of his calibre, Demon managed to narrow it down, noting: “One of the biggest attributes of Jannik is his level, day in day out, never fluctuates.
Has anyone in tennis history ever hit the ball as hard as Jannik Sinner does?
“That is one of the most impressive things from a tennis level standpoint and also mentally. This year, a lot has gone on and it hasn’t affected him mentally.
“In the French Open, he was two sets to one up, match points and lost. It was an amazing match and then he managed to back it up at Wimbledon.
“It’s amazing to be able to come back from a disappointment like that and play the way he did to win Wimbledon.”
After De Minaur lost to Sinner at the ATP Finals, he made a bold claim about where he needs to improve going forward to bridge the gap between him and the top two.
Alex de Minaur shares how he plans to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026
However, he was not finished there, and would go on to explain exactly what he plans to do in 2026 to challenge the current duopoly that is dominating men’s tennis.
After all, he currently has a 0-13 record against Sinner, and has lost all five of the matches he has played against Alcaraz too.
De Minaur added: “You have to play a lot of good tennis from the first point to the last. That’s my goal. They are at the top of our game, they have been dominating for the last couple of years and the goal is to keep improving and make their life difficult.
“It’s by no means easy, but ultimately we don’t always want to same two guys winning all the big tournaments.
Who will join Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in a new ‘big three’?
“As competitors, we don’t like to lose and we have to try and raise our game to compete with these guys.”
Despite the gulf in quality, he should remain content with his season thus far. Although, De Minaur did admit he did something ‘crazy’ in 2025 that even surprised himself.
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