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The brutal reality surrounding Alex De Minaur’s Grand Slam quest
Andrew Slevison • January 23rd, 2025 10:36 am
Alex De Minaur’s best run at an Australian Open was ended in startling fashion by Jannik Sinner on Wednesday night.
The world No.8 was cast aside by the world’s top player in straight sets - 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 - closing the curtain on his first quarter final appearance at a home major.
De Minaur looked powerless to compete with Italian star Sinner who showed there is a clear divide between the top few in the world, which includes Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, and those who are in constant pursuit.
SEN’s tennis expert and The First Serve’s Brett Phillips says there is a brutal reality when it comes to De Minaur’s quest for a maiden Grand Slam.
“Early doors you had to be brutally honest and say it was just about game set match halfway through the first set,” Phillips said on SEN Breakfast.
“Sinner is the best, he makes very few unforced errors, he just makes you play a lot and that's the gulf between No.1 and No.8 in the world.
“He has had two huge losses at Melbourne Park to the greatest player to have played the Australian Open and won, Novak Djokovic, two or three years ago and now Jannik.
“But to think where he's come since he lost to Djokovic, he’s improved to become a top 10 player.”
Phillips pondered whether De Minaur will ever find himself claiming a major, referencing some of the top players who never did themselves.
“Will he ever win a Slam? You go back to Tomas Berdych who won over 100 Grand Slam matches and made one Final,” Phillips added.
“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 quarter final.
“So it's really tough. It's these two in Sinner and 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.”
As De Minaur licks his wounds, 2024 Aus Open champion Sinner will look ahead to his semi final meeting with American Blake Shelton on Friday.
The other final four clash takes place between Djokovic and Alexander Zverev later on the same day.
The men’s Australian Open Final is scheduled for Sunday night.
In the women’s semi finals today, back-to-back champ Aryna Sabalenka meets Paula Badosa while Madison Keys will come up against Iga Swiatek.
