Alex de Minaur has enjoyed a strong start to his 2025 campaign and has impressed on clay recently.
The world number seven began his year with an impressive run to the last eight in Melbourne, as De Minaur came up short against Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
De Minaur then lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Rotterdam Open, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, proving he could compete against the very best in men’s tennis.
Moving onto clay, De Minaur fell to Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters before winning several matches at the Barcelona and Madrid Open tournaments.
With the Australian number one playing the best tennis of his career, one ATP Tour legend has predicted what he could do at a Grand Slam tournament later this year.
Todd Woodbridge thinks Alex de Minaur could reach a Grand Slam semi-final in 2025
Speaking on the Australian Open TV YouTube channel, 22-time Grand Slam doubles champion Todd Woodbridge shared his predictions for De Minaur in 2025.
“He has had an amazing 2025,” he said.
“I see him sneaking a semi-final this year at one of the Majors. You need to get a bit of luck with your draw, but if he can avoid some of those [big hitters] or they fall out of the section of his draw, he is the one who goes through.”
Woodbridge went on to explain why De Minaur has been so dangerous this year.
“He has that aura at the moment where you cannot get the ball past him, he doesn’t miss and his competitive spirit has already got him a break of serve when he walks out on to the court at the moment,” he said.
De Minaur has made big strides at Grand Slam events over the past 12 months, and has now reached the quarterfinals of all four Majors.
Having reached just one quarterfinal at his first 26 Major tournaments, De Minaur has qualified for the last eight in each of his last four.
- 2025 Australian Open QF – Alex de Minaur lost to Jannik Sinner, 3-6, 2-6, 1-6
- 2024 US Open QF – Alex de Minaur lost to Jack Draper, 3-6, 5-7, 2-6
- 2024 Wimbledon QF – Alex de Minaur withdrew
- 2024 French Open QF – Alex de Minaur lost to Alexander Zverev, 4-6, 6-7, 4-6
De Minaur came closest to reaching his first Slam semi at Roland Garros last year, when he pushed Germany’s Alexander Zverev close in all three sets.
He is, however, yet to win a set in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, something he’ll no doubt be hoping to change later this year.
Is Alex de Minaur a dark horse for the French Open title in 2025?
Several names look in good shape to win this year’s second Grand Slam event, perhaps none more so than defending champion Alcaraz.
The Spaniard has won nine of the ten matches he’s played on clay this year and produced some stunning tennis on Court Philippe Chatrier in 2024.
| Tournament | Round | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 2025 Barcelona Open | F | Holger Rune | Loss | 6-7, 2-6 |
| 2025 Barcelona Open | SF | Arthur Fils | Win | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2025 Barcelona Open | QF | Alex de Minaur | Win | 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2025 Barcelona Open | 2R | Laslo Djere | Win | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2025 Barcelona Open | 1R | Ethan Quinn | Win | 6-2, 7-6 |
| 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters | F | Lorenzo Musetti | Win | 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 |
| 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters | SF | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | Win | 7-6, 6-4 |
| 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters | QF | Arthur Fils | Win | 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters | 3R | Daniel Altmaier | Win | 6-3, 6-1 |
| 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters | 2R | Francisco Cerundolo | Win | 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 |
Alcaraz did, however, withdraw from the Madrid Open due to injury recently, as questions surrounding his fitness levels continue to circle.
The man Alcaraz beat in last year’s final, Zverev, could also be a threat, having won his first title of the year in Munich last month.
World number one Jannik Sinner will make his highly anticipated return to tennis ahead of the tournament, as he looks to move one step closer to completing the Career Grand Slam with a title in the French capital.
While the world’s top three players do look like favorites for this year’s French Open, each player has a ‘Major’ asterix attached to their title hopes.
- Carlos Alcaraz – Injury worries
- Alexander Zverev – Shaky form
- Jannik Sinner – Returning from three months out
With that being the case, perhaps a player like De Minaur could ‘sneak’ in and clinch his maiden Grand Slam title.
The Aussie has proven he can beat players ranked below him with ease, and if some of the big names were to drop out early on, it wouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to see the 26-year-old challenging for the win.
It remains to be seen if De Minaur can make a deep run at this year’s French Open tournament, but it’ll certainly be something to watch out for.
The 2025 French Open is set to begin on Sunday, May 25.
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