More risks and more muscle: De Minaur sets sights on Sinner, Alcaraz
Australia’s Alex de Minaur is back in Sydney for the United Cup, but his real focus is on Melbourne as the world No.7 eyes his first grand slam semi-final … and more.
Alex de Minaur has just had his longest off-season in six years: “About a week”.
Long enough to miss tennis, but not an extended period away from the game.
Alex de Minaur at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney following a practice session with Rinky Hijikata and Lleyton Hewitt.Credit: Oscar Colman
De Minaur, the men’s world No.7, is already preparing for 2026.
On Sunday morning, the squeak of his tennis shoes graced a resurfaced Ken Rosewall Arena for a practice session with fellow Australian Rinky Hijikata ahead of the United Cup, which starts on January 2.
Sydney is where de Minaur’s season begins, but it is the 2026 Australian Open in Melbourne that matters most.
Having now reached the quarter-finals at every grand slam, the next step for de Minaur is to reach semi-finals and finals. The presence of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner means that won’t be easy.
Alex de Minaur wants to put on extra muscle to take on tennis’ “big two” of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.Credit: Oscar Colman
The biggest question for de Minaur – and the rest of men’s tennis – is how do you bridge the gap to the “big two”?
“I think that’s something that we’re all trying to achieve,” de Minaur said on Sunday.
“There’s no other way than just getting better, right? That’s what it is. You ultimately have to bridge that gap ... I’ve played some very close matches over the years with both of them, and you feel like you’re getting closer and closer, and that’s what it is – you’ve got to work on your game, find new weapons.”
For de Minaur, it means getting inventive. Having never won a match against Alcaraz or Sinner from a combined 18 attempts, something has to change.
