De Minaur shows grit in best season of career…so far

Alex de Minaur had just progressed to the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time in his career, yet there was no joy on his face as he went to shake hands with up-and-coming Frenchman Arthur Fils. He was clearly worried as he looked on to his team in disbelief.

He was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a hip injury, but what happened next encompasses the essence of De Minaur’s approach to tennis. He hadn’t played a match until the US Open, but nonetheless participated and progressed to yet another Grand Slam quarter-final – the third of the season, and fourth of his career.

If it weren’t for the unlucky injury the Aussie’s season might have been all the greater, but even so it still ended up as the best in his career. You could feel it in the first week of the season, when he beat world No 1 Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and Taylor Fritz.

“I played De Minaur in the second match of the year and personally, I thought it was the highest level of tennis that I’ve ever seen on the other side of the court playing against,“ said Fritz, explaining why he wasn’t surprised with the season De Minaur had.

The Australian remains one of the quickest players on the Tour with often jaw-dropping court coverage, and continues to display sharp decision-making in points. But what has elevated his game even further this season is a newly-adopted offensive mindset, resulting in prolonged periods of sustained aggression, as ell as getting more free points on his serve.

This improvement resulted in him breaking into the top 10 for the first time, soaring up as high as No 6 in the world. Along the way he defended his title in Acapulco, captured his second career grass-court title in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, and qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin. He had a decent clay-court swing, culminating with the French Open quarter-finals, as well as a semi-final and quarter-final showing in Vienna and Paris Bercy respectively, despite playing through injury and pain during the indoor season.

“The wins have been great but I’ve never been over the top with wins and I always used to take the losses quite hard. Now it’s more of a balancing act,“ said De Minaur. With that attitude, he was able to win 47 matches in 2024.

Now it’s time to rest, recover and go into the off-season the only way De Minaur knows how to – with all he’s got.

Greatest win: De Minaur’s first career win over the reigning No 1 came against Novak Djokovic at the United Cup in Perth (6-4 6-4). The Aussie ended Djokovic’s 43-match win streak on Australian soil. Djokovic was struggling with his wrist, but De Minaur played an extraordinary match that set him up for the rest of 2024.

“What If” moment: The injury in the summer would have plagued the seasons of many players, but De Minaur’s fighting spirit once again showed. Still, one can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened in his Wimbledon quarter-final against Novak Djokovic, particularly as Djokovic was coming off meniscus surgery and wasn’t playing at his best. Also, his hip flared up in the quarter-finals of the US Open against Jack Draper, so De Minaur was nowhere near his best against a player he had beaten on all three of their previous meetings.

Look ahead: In the man’s own words: “Constantly looking at yourself in the mirror and trying to find ways to get better. Also, never – and I mean never – be satisfied.” Just as it has been so far. Let’s see if De Minaur can prove more people wrong, because that’s one thing he particularly enjoys doing.