Alex de Minaur has endured a tricky start to his 2026 clay-court season, which he now continues at the Italian Open.
De Minaur reached the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters in April, before suffering a round of 16 exit in Barcelona.
The Australian ace, who is currently ranked eighth on the ATP Tour, then lost his opening match at the Madrid Open.
But De Minaur remains upbeat ahead of his next tournament on the surface, which he starts in the second round after a first round bye.
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Alex de Minaur hoping to unlock his potential on clay
De Minaur was asked by the Italian Open on YouTube: “How much do you feel there’s more to come or there should be more to come on this surface?”
He said: “Yeah I feel like over the last three years I’ve really improved on the surface, and I’ve become quite dangerous.
“And I’ve felt comfortable, and I’ve gotten some really good results. The potential is there, I’ve just got to unlock it.”
And when asked if he will put up a wall or be aggressive in Rome, he replied: “I think finding that balance is the key for me.
“And of course having the gritty warrior inside of me that’s not going to back down, that’s going to put up a fight no matter what, that’s going to make going to make it brutally tough.
“And that’s what I kind of got to get back to, and hopefully I can do that this week.”
Can anyone stop Jannik Sinner at the Italian Open?
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Alex de Minaur praises ‘pretty unbeatable’ Jannik Sinner
De Minaur’s fighting spirit has helped him achieve great success over the years, along with his tremendous speed on the court.
He will, however, be well aware that none of his 11 career ATP titles have arrived on clay.
| Year | Titles | Tournaments |
| 2026 | 1 | Rotterdam (Indoor/Hard) |
| 2025 | 1 | Washington (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2024 | 2 | ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Outdoor/Grass) Acapulco (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2023 | 1 | Acapulco (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2022 | 1 | Atlanta (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2021 | 2 | Eastbourne (Outdoor/Grass) Antalya (Outdoor/Hard) |
| 2019 | 3 | Zhuhai (Outdoor/Hard) Atlanta (Outdoor/Hard) Sydney (Outdoor/Hard) |
The Australian boasts nine on hard courts and two on grass, claiming the Rotterdam title on the former earlier this season.
But setting the standard on clay has been world number one Jannik Sinner, who has lifted back-to-back trophies in Monte Carlo and Madrid.
Sharing his verdict on the Italian, De Minaur said: “Yeah I mean he’s obviously at the top of the game at the moment. He’s pretty unbeatable.
“I think in terms for me, I know that I can be dangerous on this surface. Just had a couple of weeks that I would have loved to do a little bit better.
“But in the grand scheme of things, to have just two or three bad weeks in the last four or five years, I’ll take that.”
De Minaur will be desperate for a strong start in Rome, but he certainly faces a tricky opener against either Spaniard Jaume Munar or Italian wildcard Matteo Arnaldi.
Star man and home favorite Sinner is also in the draw following his success in Madrid, but there is no appearance from the injured Carlos Alcaraz.
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