Alex de Minaur muscles up in bid to be Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz ‘disruptor’
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Australia's Alex de Minaur (left) interacting with Jannik Sinner of Italy after his semi-final defeat by the Italian at the ATP Finals in Turin on Nov 15. Earlier in the tournament, de Minaur also lost to world No. 1 Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.
PHOTO: AFP
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SYDNEY – Alex de Minaur has muscled up in a bid to bridge the gap on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, with the Australian aiming to be a “disruptor” to the pair’s tennis dominance.
The world No. 7 has yet to beat either player and admits he has to find new weapons to challenge the world No. 1 Spaniard and second-ranked Italian. The duo have shared the last eight Grand Slam titles.
In contrast, de Minaur has not reached the semi-finals at a Major so far in his career.
“I’ve played some very close matches over the years with both of them and you feel like you’re getting closer and closer,” de Minaur told reporters in Sydney, ahead of the season-opening United Cup, which starts on Jan 2.
“You’ve got to work on your game, find new weapons.
“For me, it’s finding different ways to hurt these players and trying to be ready to take more risks and be a little bit more of a disruptor.
“There’s a couple of things here and there that we’ve tried to work towards in my team throughout this off-season to try to take the next step, and that’s obviously the next goal.”
One of the things de Minaur has been working on is body strength, employing a new fitness trainer as he prepares for the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Jan 18.
“I’m ultimately trying to get bigger and stronger and just keep on improving,” he said.
“Over the years I’ve gained a little bit of weight, which has definitely helped me. There’s no substitute for hard work, so that’s what we’ll be doing.”
In 2025, de Minaur secured one title in Washington, adding to his nine other career victories.
Australia face the Czech Republic and Norway at the mixed-teams United Cup, which is also being played in Perth where three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka will be in action.
The 40-year-old veteran said on Dec 29 that he was “at peace” with his decision to make 2026 his last year on tour, but insisted there were still goals to meet.
He announced this month that he plans to call it quits, with the United Cup the beginning of the end for the popular Swiss star.
“Of course, I’m still passionate about the game, about the sport I love,” he said.
“What I received from it, the emotion playing in a different country, coming back here with a lot of fans, a lot of support, so I’m going to miss that part, that’s for sure,” he said.
“The last few months, I’ve had time to decide whether it will be my last year or not, and for me, it’s quite clear. I’m happy with the decision, I’m at peace with that.”
Wawrinka’s three Grand Slam victories – the Australian Open in 2014, the French Open a year later and the US Open in 2016 – came at a time when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were dominating men’s tennis.
A former world No. 3, he is now ranked 157th after struggling with injuries but said he would work as hard as ever in 2026.
“I still want to play some good tennis, I still have goals. Hopefully I can come back in the top 100, finish on a good ranking,” he said. AFP
