Alex De Minaur believes he has the tennis world’s attention
Australian No 1 Alex De Minaur feels that his recent performances have shown that he is capable of so much more on the ATP Tour.
De Minaur was at his best during a straight sets win over Grigor Dimitrov on his 25th birthday.
It had been exactly a year since De Minaur lost to Dimitrov in the Rotterdam quarter-finals but 12 months on things are really looking up for the Australian.
“I’m extremely happy with the level throughout the whole match,” said De Minaur in his post-match interview.
“It was probably one of the better matches I’ve played from start to finish.
“Even saying that, I always know that Grigor is going to lift his level and compete until the end, and I had to fight off some pretty tough break points, when I came up with some of my best tennis.”
“That was the key today.
“I managed to hold onto my serve at key moments and I live to fight another day.”
After defeating Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals to secure his fourth Top 10 victory of the year, De Minaur walked onto the court with all the assurance of a man who is playing some of the finest tennis of his career.
He battled Dimitrov from the baseline the entire time, displaying a great deal of firepower off both wings and committing just four unforced errors to go with his 14 winners.
All told it was an energetic and confident display and sounded a warning to those facing him.
“This is my standard,” said De Minaur. “This is what I’ve got to bring every single time I walk on the court. That’s how I’m going to play my best tennis. I think I made a big step in the right direction, showing the type of tennis I can play, week in, week out. I think I’ve raised the bar a little bit and hopefully there’s plenty more to go.”
The Australian feels that a shift in mindset has been the key to improving his results on court.
“I think my mentality [has been key],” said De Minaur.
“I think my physicality is always going to be there, and my mentality normally is, but it’s a long year so you have weeks when it might be a little bit tougher to be very positive all the time.
“From the word go here in Rotterdam, I’ve felt a very calm presence. I’ve felt positive, I’ve been calm and collected throughout whole matches, and I think that’s been a big key for me.”
De Minaur couyld face Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner in the Rotterdam singles final on Sunday.
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