Alex de Minaur admits he is ‘very fortunate’ to play Rafael Nadal on clay in 2024
Alex de Minaur has reflected on the ‘amazing experience’ of becoming only the fifth player in history to beat Rafael Nadal at the Barcelona Open.
De Minaur, who wears the ASICS Solution Speed FF3 trainers, beat the record 12-time champion in straight sets in Barcelona to progress to the third round.
Despite obtaining the victory, the Australian suggested that he was lucky to play Nadal at this stage of his career on the surface.
“I’m very fortunate that I didn’t play Rafa a couple of years earlier on the clay,” admitted De Minaur. “It would have been a very different match. It was an amazing experience.”
Although De Minaur was fairly comfortable in the end, the world No.11 believes that there was only one thing separating the two players.
“Probably the only thing I had over Rafa on clay is maybe my physicality, at this stage of his career,” claimed De Minaur. “I decided to try to make the rallies long and to use my speed to my advantage….and make him move. But it wasn’t easy.”
| Year | Players to beat Rafael Nadal at the Barcelona Open |
| 2003 | Alex Corretja beat Nadal, 3-6 6-2 6-1 (Second Round) |
| 2014 | Nicolas Almagro beat Nadal, 2-6 7-6(5) 6-4 (Quarter-final) |
| 2015 | Fabio Fognini beat Nadal, 6-4 7-6(6) (Third Round) |
| 2019 | Dominic Thiem beat Nadal, 6-4 6-4 (Semi-final) |
| 2024 | Alex de Minaur beat Nadal, 7-5 6-1 (Second Round) |
De Minaur may have not wanted to praise himself, but Nadal was full of compliments for his opponent, “Alex is a great player. In terms of tennis today, he was in better shape than me.
“He has really played at a very high level since the beginning of the season. I think he has made a very important step forward in his level of tennis. I’m just happy for him and I congratulate him for the level he played today.”
De Minaur will look to continue his improved clay court form later today, when he takes on Frenchman Arthur Fils.
Alex de Minaur and ASICS
De Minaur wears ASICS Solution Speed FF3 trainers, which are the most recent edition of the Japanese performance brand’s specialist tennis shoe designed for faster players, just like the Australian! You can learn more about the third version of the Solution Speed from this recent Tennishead review which includes a play-test video.
The latest version of the Solution Speed has been developed with ‘advanced 3D modelling and ASICS’ traditional Japanese craftsmanship, the PRECISION-SOLE™ provides a better combination of grip and flexibility on the tennis court – essential requirements of the fast, all-court player’. The Solution Speed FF3 also benefits from woven mesh, enabling players to have ‘a lighter and more comfortable experience’. ASICS continuous efforts to improve mean this fast shoe is now even faster for the rapid players like De Minaur, thanks to the ‘updated SPEEDTRUSS™ technology that improves flexibility and speed for a split-second head start’.
Not only do the ASICS Solution Speed FF3 trainers have many benefits to the on-court game, but they are also more beneficial for the environment which is becoming increasingly important. The Solution Speed FF™ 3 is ‘the first tennis shoe in the industry to include the transparency logo reporting on total CO₂ emissions for every pair of shoes created, a step in lowering total emissions in the value chain for a brighter tomorrow’.
Fans of De Minaur and ASICS can try their own pair of these amazing shoes complete with a head-to-toe ASICS outfit by joining the legendary Tennishead CLUB.
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