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Sinner takes down Demon in straight-sets | 03:34
Alex de Minaur was left to confront a harsh reality after an emphatic loss to world No.1 Jannik Sinner that sparked fresh discussion about the Australian’s true potential and place in this era of men’s tennis.
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Soon-to-be world No.7 De Minaur is Australia’s highest ranked player since Lleyton Hewitt almost 20 years ago but a 6-3 6-2 6-1 defeat on Wednesday night showed, as it stands, he’s still a long way off challenging Sinner and co for grand slam titles.
At just 25, it would be foolish to write De Minaur off as a potential major winner, and the man himself certainly refuses to believe he has reached his peak.
“It’s pretty tough right now for me to sit here after this defeat and tell you that I believe I can go all the way (and win a slam),” de Minaur conceded after the loss.
“But saying that, I do think that there are opportunities out there.
“Tennis is so much about matchups, right? Yeah, I think right now my worst matchup on tour is probably Jannik. You know, there’s a head-to-head that doesn’t lie, right?
“If I’m in a different side of the draw, different little section, then who knows? I genuinely think I’m going to give myself opportunities, and I don’t think my peak is making quarterfinals in a slam.”
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“I see other players that have made it further, have made semis, have made finals, and I do believe that I can be amongst them, right? If they have been able to accomplish that, then why not me?”
De Minaur’s critics would argue that ‘why’ is because he ultimately lacks the game and weapons to reach the level of the game’s very top stars. The nature of Wednesday’s defeat attracted plenty of flak with the Australian even engaging with one of his online critics.
There’s perhaps a hint of resignation in De Minaur’s post-match comments that he may not ultimately be ‘the guy’ — the multiple slam winner Australia men’s tennis has craved since Hewitt — but many, like former world No.1 Andy Roddick believe what he already has, and continues to, achieve should not be underappreciated.
“Demon is eight in the world in a global sport,” Roddick said on his podcast, Served.
“You have some chucker saying, ‘this guy stinks’ like get out of here. You better be really good at your job if you’re criticising Alex de Minaur.
“The guy maxes out every bit that he has.”
A fourth straight quarter-final exit draws obvious comparisons between De Minaur and other ‘nearly men’ from recent tennis history, including legendary Spaniard David Ferrer who reached a career high of No.3, earned more than $US30 million in prize money but just one grand slam final.
SEN and The First Serve tennis pundit Brett Phillips said De Minaur may ultimately be facing a similar fate.
“Will he ever win a Slam? You go back to Tomas Berdych who won over 100 Grand Slam matches and made one final,” Phillips said.
“Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made one final, David Ferrer made one final, Andrey Rublev has won 165 matches at Grand Slam level but cannot get past the quarterfinal.
“So it’s really tough. It’s these two in Sinner and (Carlos) Alcarez who just make life so hard to bridge that gap.
“I think Alex is capable of staying in the top 10 for a period of time but the reality is he needs a bit of luck, he needs the draw to open up because he just doesn’t quite have what those guys have.
“That’s the brutal honesty of it all.”
If De Minaur is destined for a similar path it shouldn’t detract from the remarkable improvement he’s made just to get to this point.
“How much can you actually add to your game is the question mark for every player,” pundit David Law said on The Tennis Podcast on Thursday.
“If you’ve got this as your base, if this is who you are, what can you do to improve? And we’ve seen the greats do it.
“In some degree De Minaur has already done that against other players, it’s just that when you put him against Sinner he just looks the same each time no matter what he does.”
Whatever the future holds, a career that has featured nine ATP singles titles, last eight appearances at each of the four grand slams and more than $US16 million in prize money is worthy of respect and acclaim, not ridicule, stresses Roddick.
“(This loss) doesn’t mean Demon isn’t a great player. It just means Sinner is quickly approaching being one of the all-time greats and Demon becomes exposed in this specific matchup,” Roddick said.
“I love Alex de Minaur. I hope he feels good about his run … made it to the quarters of his home slam. But listen, to get through a slam it’s largely matchup dependent.
“I don’t want this lazy coverage of the Demon-Sinner matchup to take anything away from the Demon and what he’s gotten out of what he’s been given. He is an absolute rockstar.”
