Alex de Minaur, a winner of two titles and 47 matches in a career-best season, opens his ATP Finals marketing campaign towards world No.1 Jannik Sinner on Sunday.
10 November 2024 | Sam Jacot, ATPTour.com
Season after season, Alex de Minaur has climbed the PIF ATP Rankings. From a top-30 end in 2022 to the highest 15 in 2023, the Australian will finish 2024 together with his first year-end top-10 end.
Perpetually a fighter on court docket, the Australian has enhanced his physicality, shotmaking and tactical consciousness in recent times. His reward? A spot on the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
“I’ve simply always checked out myself within the mirror and tried to seek out methods to get higher,” De Minaur mentioned when requested about his improvement. “It’s what I’ve performed each single yr. Constantly attempting to enhance and get higher and have enjoyable methods to get higher. It’s by no means to be happy. Big credit score to my complete workforce, all of the folks round me who push me.
“Issues simply click on. You look and attempt to discover and tweak a number of issues till you hit the best spot after which the arrogance works and it’s a good thing if you find yourself enjoying good tennis and excessive on confidence.”
De Minaur will should be at his perfect in Turin, the place he makes his debut. The Australian, who has gained two tour-level titles in 2024, will probably be plunged straight into the deep finish on Sunday night time when he takes on World No. 1 and residential favorite Jannik Sinner in his opening round-robin match in Ilie Nastase Group.
“It isn’t rocket science however you need to be prepared from the phrase go. It doesn’t get any tougher than beginning towards Jannik,” mentioned De Minaur, who trails Sinner 0-7 within the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head sequence. “From the very begin, I should be prepared, I must compete. It’s going to be an important expertise. An amazing problem. However that is the place I’ve needed to be all these years.”
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Sinner reached the ultimate in Turin in 2023 and backed that up by successful majors on the Australian Open and US Open in 2024. De Minaur is conscious of the problem he’ll face come Sunday night time.
“Jannik’s profession remains to be very younger however he has completed a lot,” De Minaur added. “The perfect participant on the planet this yr. Enjoying some unimaginable tennis. Constant. Has the very best win share on Tour and it’s all for a purpose. He’s a really robust buyer to play towards, so he has earned his option to the highest.”
> READ: De Minaur’s highway for a debut ATP Finals run
De Minaur may even play 2020 champion Daniil Medvedev and 2022 semifinalist Taylor Fritz within the round-robin stage. The nine-time tour-level titlist was filled with reward for each.
“Medvedev himself is an fascinating character,” De Minaur mentioned. “We’ve got performed a whole lot of matches, had a whole lot of battles. I at all times stay up for these sorts of matches. I believe we’re each tacticians on the market once we play one another. We attempt to put balls in sure areas the place they gained’t like.
“Taylor Fritz is highly effective, cool below strain and has an important serve. He has a whole lot of firepower about him. He has proven what he’s able to this yr. Making a ultimate of a Grand Slam will not be a straightforward feat.”
Republished with variety permission from ATPTour.com.
