Alex de Minaur has a lot to reflect on after being knocked out of the Australian Open.
De Minaur was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz, 7-5 6-2 6-1, in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
This has continued De Minaur’s losing record against Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, with the Australian losing all 19 matches he has played against the top two players on the ATP Tour.
Despite this, De Minaur still appears to have faith he can beat Alcaraz and Sinner, but he has been told that something in his game needs to improve if he is to do so.
Paul McNamee pinpoints the biggest improvement Alex de Minaur needs to make
In his 19 combined defeats to Alcaraz and Sinner, De Minaur has also only won four out of the 46 sets he has played against them.
When reflecting on De Minaur’s difficulties against Alcaraz and Sinner, five-time Grand Slam doubles champion Paul McNamee believes that his net game is holding him back.
McNamee wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) in response to analysis about De Minaur’s defeat to Alcaraz, “Craig is correct… if he can improve his net game, which has been an issue for a long time, then he will have much needed options… it will take some time, but it will be worth it.”
Although the former doubles world number one believes that De Minaur’s net game is holding him back, the Australian did actually win 64% of his net points against Alcaraz.
However, Alcaraz won 82% of his net points, perhaps highlighting the gap between himself and De Minaur.
When could Alex de Minaur play Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner again?
De Minaur will now look to reflect and make improvements ahead of his next match against either Alcaraz or Sinner.
Although he is now out of the Australian Open, De Minaur may not have to wait long to play Alcaraz again.
De Minaur’s next scheduled tournament is in less than two weeks’ time at the Rotterdam Open, where Alcaraz is also competing.
This is a tournament where De Minaur has finished as runner-up in the past two years, losing to Sinner in 2024, and Alcaraz in 2025.
As the third seed at this year’s tournament, De Minaur could play Alcaraz again, either in the semifinals or final, depending on how the draw comes out.
The Rotterdam Open will get underway on Monday, January 9, with Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, De Minaur and Felix Auger-Aliassime set to be the top four seeds.
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