Alex de Minaur’s challenge lies not in his tennis skills, but in the expectations placed upon him.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Prepare for the familiar sounds of disappointment. Get ready to hear how he has once again fallen short. Anticipate the social media reactions questioning his capability to become a major champion. This cycle repeats predictably.
Australia’s highest-ranked player, Alex de Minaur, exited the Australian Open on Tuesday night, marking the fifth consecutive year he has been eliminated at either the fourth round or quarterfinal stage at his home Grand Slam. While it may appear to be frustratingly familiar, this tournament at Melbourne Park represented both progress in his growth as a tennis player and further evidence that the expectations placed on de Minaur are disproportionately high.
For two hours and 15 minutes at Rod Laver Arena, de Minaur fought hard, striving to harness the energy of a crowd that was urging him on against the world’s top player, Carlos Alcaraz.
De Minaur actually recorded fewer unforced errors than the Spaniard and managed to break his serve twice in a fiercely contested opening set. However, as in their previous five encounters, Alcaraz displayed little concern for de Minaur’s determination and resilience, ultimately winning the match 7-5, 6-2, 6-1.
There is little shame in losing to a player who has accomplished more in tennis over the past 40 months than nearly anyone else in the sport’s history, aside from a select few.
Nonetheless, this will not quell the recurring inquiries about whether de Minaur will ever secure a Grand Slam title. Perhaps, perhaps not. It’s uncertain. However, it may be time to start recognizing de Minaur for his accomplishments rather than feeling disappointed when he does not meet the public’s excessively high expectations.
De Minaur is a firmly established top 10 player globally and consistently reaches the second week of Grand Slam tournaments. He has made it to the quarterfinals in six of the last eight majors and has reached at least the Round of 16 at the Australian Open for five consecutive years, becoming the first Australian man since John Newcombe in 1977 to achieve this milestone.
Last year, he advanced to at least the fourth round in all but one Masters 1000 event, contesting a quarterfinal on four occasions. He concluded the year with a semifinal appearance at the season-ending ATP Finals, showcasing his consistency.
Yet, the narrative persists that he continues to significantly underperform. It appears that anything less than winning a major title leads to the perception that he has not met expectations. A reminder that only four players can compete in the semifinals at each Grand Slam, and only one can lift the championship trophy.
“You try to do the right things, you try to keep on improving, but when the results don’t come or the scoreline doesn’t reflect those improvements, then of course you feel quite deflated,” de Minaur stated in his press conference after the loss.
“You just got to keep on moving. It’s the only way. I mean, as tough as it is when you get results like this, you get back up, you get back on the horse.”
De Minaur is unlikely to ever be the most powerful player on the tour. He will not possess the strongest serve or the most lethal forehand, attributes typically associated with those at the top of the rankings. What de Minaur does possess is an exceptional ability to navigate the court, chasing down balls with remarkable speed and compelling opponents to play that extra shot. Sometimes, that is simply not sufficient to overcome some of the other players. And that is acceptable.
Consider the opponents he has faced in Slam quarterfinals since the beginning of 2024. Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic, Jack Draper (while contending with a hip injury), Jannik Sinner, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and now Alcaraz. These are players of Grand Slam-winning caliber, and aside from Draper (due to the Australian’s injury) and Auger-Aliassime (a closely contested match), all were ranked higher than de Minaur at those tournaments.
“I can decide to look at it two different ways, right?” he remarked. “I can look at it, the fact that I’m losing to — at the Australian Open — I’ve lost to Rafa, Novak, Jannik twice, now Carlos.
“I’m not losing too many matches to players I possibly shouldn’t lose to, right?”
That is accurate. He has never lost a match at the Australian Open to an opponent ranked below him. Ever.
For context, Nick Kyrgios has reached one quarterfinal in Melbourne, 11 years ago. He has done so four times overall. De Minaur has reached it twice in Melbourne and seven times overall, yet does not receive nearly the same level of attention.
De Minaur consistently maximizes his talent, yet the tennis-viewing public desires more. But why can’t we simply relax, appreciate the performance, and acknowledge him as one of the best tennis players in the world?
Source: espn.com
