Tim Henman has sought to provide Alex de Minaur with some crucial advice ahead of his crunch semi-final showdown against Jannik Sinner.
Heading into this match, there are very few who would expect the Aussie to give the former world number one a challenge.
After all, their head-to-head makes for grim reading, with Jannik Sinner having claimed 12 wins from their 12 meetings.
There have been some close bouts, but the vast majority have been straightforward and ruthless. It will take something really special to stop that rut at the ATP Finals.
However, Henman still gives Alex de Minaur a chance, provided he can do one thing.
Tim Henman gives Alex de Minaur advice ahead of his match vs Jannik Sinner
The fact that De Minaur will even feature in this upcoming semi-final is a welcome surprise, given the way in which he lost his opening two matches of the group stage.
So, he almost enters this clash with Sinner free from expectation, which could make him dangerous.
Henman, speaking live on Sky Sports last night, has encouraged him to embrace that position. However, he admitted that the competition will only get tougher: “Yeah, it’s not going to get easier, is it?
“But I definitely think that he’s got to play with that freedom. I mean, this is such a sort of bonus to be through to the semis. He’s playing Sinner in Italy; it’s one of those, you know, career moments, and so he will definitely go out and embrace it. He did an unbelievable job beating Fritz today.
“He’s up against it.”
Alex de Minaur’s miraculous qualification through the ATP Finals group stage
It does feel like a handful of people within the tennis world are willing a fresh competitor to emerge and challenge the established top two.
Even Laura Robson sent a warning about if Alcaraz and Sinner keep dominating recently, so she will likely be willing De Minaur to victory later this week.
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However, as noted earlier, he will just be happy to still be alive in the event.
Whilst his opening-match loss to Alcaraz was not surprising, it was the following clash that really crushed his spirits, conspiring to lose to Lorenzo Musetti despite serving for the match.
De Minaur was said to have been in a dark place after that loss, as he added: “A couple days ago was one of the toughest days I’ve had in my career. I was in a very, very dark spot. I could tell you that I hated the sport. Here we are two days later and I’m feeling great about myself (smiling). It’s incredible.”
This turnaround came after he beat Taylor Fritz in straight sets against all the odds, securing his unlikely qualification and giving him the chance to play Sinner for a spot in the final.
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