Alex de Minaur is hoping to surprise people at the ATP Finals this year in Turin.
De Minaur confirmed his qualification for the ATP Finals in Paris, and he will be making his second appearance at the year-end tournament.
The Australian has already revealed something big ahead of the ATP Finals this year, with De Minaur confirming news about the Grand Slams.
De Minaur has recently spoken about the change in his serve, and he has now spoken about another change in his game which he does not think many people have noticed.
Alex de Minaur says what a lot of people do not know about his game
De Minaur is known as one of the fastest players on the ATP Tour, but he believes there is another area of his game which has helped him qualify for the ATP Finals.
When asked about what he is most proud of this year, De Minaur revealed that he made a conscious effort two years ago to be more aggressive.
“Look, I’m proud of the consistency, showing up every week and sticking to my brand of tennis,” De Minaur told Tennis Bolshoi.
“I kind of understood a couple years back what I needed to do to take the next step and the next level in my game, and that was to have a slight shift in my mindset and kind of look to be more the aggressor, especially in the big points and I stuck with that through thick and thin and it has achieved the results I have wanted, and it has given me opportunities that I have definitely cherished, and there’s definitely more to give.”
When asked a follow-up question on his aggressive game style, De Minaur believes that many people still do not know this about him and instead focus on his speed and defensive abilities.
“I think willingness to be aggressive, and to have that aggressive mindset,” added the world number seven. “I have always been able to show off my speed and my defensive skills, but not a lot of people know that I can also be aggressive. I like to come to the net, I like to disrupt when I can and just bring those different elements to my game.”
Alex de Minaur explains why he felt ’empty’ after the ATP Finals last year
As previously mentioned, this is the second time De Minaur has played the ATP Finals after making his debut last year.
However, his first appearance in Turin last year was not a successful one, with De Minaur losing all three of his round-robin matches and only winning one set.
After reflecting on his debut last year, De Minaur has stated his claim as someone who wants to challenge for the title this year after admitting he felt ’empty’ after struggling in 2024.
“It means a lot to be able to be back here,” said De Minaur. “Last year, I struggled through a lot of physical battles to be able to make it to Turin and of course I thought it was a huge achievement, but I felt a little bit empty afterwards, because I didn’t feel physically at my best.
“As soon as I was done it was a massive goal of mine to make sure I would be able to get back to Turin and not make the numbers, be someone that is competing for the title, so I’m very excited to be back.”
De Minaur has still been dealing with a hip injury this year, but he appears to be fit enough to compete at the ATP Finals.
It does not get much tougher for De Minaur with his opening match, as he takes on six-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, who he has lost all four previous meetings against.
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