If Alex de Minaur could have upset Jannik Sinner on Saturday in Turin – yes, we know, long shot – the Aussie could have finished a season inside the ATP’s Top-5 for the first time.
We know now that it didn’t happen. De Minaur fell to 0-13 lifetime against indoor juggernaut Sinner and was left to contemplate the gap between himself and the tour’s elite as his ATP Finals came to a close.
Does the 26-year-old Aussie have what it takes to get higher in the rankings and start to do some tangible damage against the tour’s top players? He has hit a plateau in recent years, climbing inside the Top 10 but dropping each of his seven major quarterfinals and going 0-18 collectively against Sinner (13) and Alcaraz (combined).
That said, De Minaur is looking for ways to solve his issues.
“It’s always the goal,” he told reporters on Saturday in Turin. “As I said, I still think that I’ve got more to give. I haven’t hit my peak just yet.”
De Minaur, who admitted that he had allowed himself to go to a dark place after his loss to Lorenzo Musetti during round robin play, says he also needs to be aware that he must strike a balance between driving for more and becoming burnt out.
“I’ve also got to be careful with how much I push myself and how much pressure I put on myself because that’s what gets me into dark places, right?” he said. “The desire to keep on improving and keep on wanting more and expecting more… I’ve got to find a healthy balance.”
Despite the loss to Sinner, De Minaur does feel that he is learning to adapt his game to the unique challenge of facing a player like Sinner. He knows he has to attack relentlessly and not let Sinner control with his world-class pace and precision. And he knows he needs to serve lights-out.
“As we’ve seen in the last two matches, I do have the ability to play with a higher pace and more aggressive style tennis,” he said. “I do think this is what needs to come out to beat the best players in the world.
“For me to take the next step, it’s just being fresh, not putting as much pressure on myself, and ultimately just stepping up in the bigger tournaments. That’s what it’s going to take for me to jump from where I’ve been the last two years to potentially in the top 5 and pushing for bigger and better things.”
