whether Alex de Minaur could have upset Jannik Sinner on Saturday in Turin – yes, we know, by a long shot – the Austrian could have ended a season inside the ATP Top-5 for the first time.
We know now that it didn’t happen. De Minaur fell to 0-13 lifetime against the domestic Sinner and was left to ponder the gap between himself and the tour’s elite as his ATP Finals drew to a close.
Does the 26-year-old Aussie have what it takes to move up the rankings and start doing some tangible damage against the tour’s top players? He has hit a plateau in recent years, climbing inside the Top 10 but losing each of his seven major quarterfinals and going a collective 0-18 against Sinner (13) and Alcaraz (combined).
That said, De Minaur is looking for ways to solve his problems.
“It’s always the goal,” he told reporters Saturday in Turin. “Like I said, I still think I have more to give. I haven’t peaked yet.”
De Minaur, who admitted he had allowed himself to go to a dark place after his round-robin loss to Lorenzo Musetti, says he must also be aware of striking a balance between driving for more and burning out.
“I also have to be careful how much I push myself and how much pressure I put on myself because that’s what takes me to dark places, right? he said. “The desire to keep getting better and keep wanting more and expecting more… I have to find a healthy balance.”
Despite the loss to Sinner, De Minaur feels 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 accuracy. And he knows he has to fix the lights.
“As we’ve seen in the last two matches, I have the ability to play a higher tempo and more aggressive style of tennis,” he said. “I think that’s what it takes to beat the best players in the world.
“For me to take the next step, it’s just about being fresh, not putting so much pressure on myself, and ultimately just growing at 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 being in the top 5 and pushing for bigger and better things.”
