Alex De Minaur has been speaking immediately after yesterday’s win with Grigor Dimitrov.
The Australian was imperious in his straight-sets triumph over the 32-year-old, blasting his way into the Rotterdam Open Final.
He will now face Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner for a chance at the silverware, in what promises to be a mouth-watering clash.
But, what does De Minaur think has aided him in his recent meteoric rise into the ATP top ten? We take a closer look at his latest comments…
What Alex De Minaur has added to his game
Quizzed by Tennis TV in his post-match interview, the 25-year-old, who claimed victory over Dimitrov on his birthday, was beaming after such a fine result. And who could blame him?
After all, he had just brushed aside the Bulgarian maestro with relative ease, a win made even more impressive given his opponent actually boasted the most wins in 2024 at the time of playing.
Well, it feels like, much like his high-octane brand of tennis, De Minaur has fast-tracked his way into the limelight in recent years despite reaching the US Open quarter-finals back in 2020.
And he owes a large part of that to one key factor, noting: ‘This is my standard. This is what I’ve got to bring every single time I walk on the court. That’s how I’m going to play my best tennis.
‘I think I made a big step in the right direction, showing the type of tennis I can play, week in, week out. I think I’ve raised the bar a little bit and hopefully there’s plenty more to go.’
He would continue to note: ‘I think my mentality [has been key]. I think my physicality is always going to be there, and my mentality normally is, but it’s a long year so you have weeks when it might be a little bit tougher to be very positive all the time.
‘From the word go here in Rotterdam, I’ve felt a very calm presence. I’ve felt positive, I’ve been calm and collected throughout whole matches, and I think that’s been a big key for me.’
A huge clash with Jannik Sinner awaits
Well, we will truly get an indicator of that immense progress later today, as his clash with Sinner is set to be one for the ages.
Facing off in the first ATP 500 tournament of the year, it pits two wildly in-form stars against one another, both seeking to add to their trophy cabinets.
And whilst the Italian will naturally be the favourite, given he is enjoying an unparalleled unbeaten run of late, De Minaur will have quiet aspirations of toppling the Grand Slam champion and avenging his Davis Cup defeat in that final. He has lost all six of his meetings with the 22-year-old.
After all, the progress made between last month’s Australian Open and now has been stark, with his win over Andrey Rublev earlier this week indicative of this.
Perhaps, with his all-action and unrelenting brand of tennis, he might just have the energy to finally outclass Sinner and claim just his eighth career title.
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