Alex de Minaur, a winner of two titles and 47 matches in a career-best season, opens his ATP Finals marketing campaign in opposition to 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.
Ceaselessly a fighter on courtroom, 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 continually checked out myself within the mirror and tried to seek out methods to get higher,” De Minaur stated when requested about his improvement. “It’s what I’ve accomplished each single yr. Repeatedly attempting to enhance and get higher and have enjoyable methods to get higher. It’s by no means to be happy. Large credit score to my entire staff, all of the folks round me who push me.
“Issues simply click on. You look and attempt to discover and tweak a couple of issues till you hit the best spot after which the boldness works and it’s a good thing if you find yourself taking part in good tennis and excessive on confidence.”
De Minaur will must be at his highest in Turin, the place he makes his debut. The Australian, who has received two tour-level titles in 2024, shall 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’s not rocket science however you need to be prepared from the phrase go. It doesn’t get any more durable than beginning in opposition to Jannik,” stated De Minaur, who trails Sinner 0-7 within the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head sequence. “From the very begin, I must be prepared, I have to compete. It’ll be a terrific expertise. An excellent 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 achieved a lot,” De Minaur added. “The very best participant on the planet this yr. Taking part in some unbelievable tennis. Constant. Has the perfect win share on Tour and it’s all for a purpose. He’s a really powerful buyer to play in opposition to, so he has earned his approach to the highest.”
> READ: De Minaur’s highway for a debut ATP Finals run
De Minaur may also 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 stated. “We’ve got performed quite a lot of matches, had quite a lot of battles. I all the time stay up for these sorts of matches. I feel we’re each tacticians on the market after we play one another. We try to put balls in sure areas the place they received’t like.
“Taylor Fritz is highly effective, cool beneath stress and has a terrific serve. He has quite a lot of firepower about him. He has proven what he’s able to this yr. Making a ultimate of a Grand Slam just isn’t a straightforward feat.”
Republished with form permission from ATPTour.com.
