Alex de Minaur is recognised as one of the most talented yet hardworking athletes on the ATP Tour, as demonstrated by his most recent success.
The Australian, a seven-time major quarter-finalist, recently captured his 11th ATP Tour title after defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Rotterdam Open final.
Before Rotterdam, de Minaur reached the Australian Open quarter-finals, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets.
Will Alex de Minaur finish 2026 ranked inside the top five?
After the defeat, De Minaur documented his reflections, in which he explained the reasoning behind an important change to his practice approach.
De Minaur says he was ‘living the stress of every mistake’ in practice
In the short YouTube documentary, De Minaur admitted that he had struggled earlier in his career to separate his matches from training.
He said: “Over the years, I have gotten better at not looking into practice that much, in terms of I know my level and in the past I would be pretty p—— off with myself for missing so many balls, which is something I know I am better than.
“But I have gotten better at understanding situations and just being a bit nicer to myself.
“Before it was like every time I stepped on the court it was like I was playing a match and living the stress of every mistake.
“It got too much, to the point where I still every time I practice, I am trying to get the most out of myself but if the result doesn’t go my way or I miss a ball, it’s [okay].”
De Minaur’s reflections represent a frank but admirable admission. It can be tough for any player competing at the top of their sport to switch off after matches and separate the intensity of full-blooded combat from the comparative serenity of practice.
Alex de Minaur’s last five Grand Slam results
| Tournament | Round Reached | The opponent he lost to |
| 2026 Australian Open | Quarter-final | Carlos Alcaraz |
| 2025 US Open | Quarter-final | Felix Auger-Aliassime |
| 2025 Wimbledon | Fourth Round | Novak Djokovic |
| 2025 French Open | Second Round | Alexander Bublik |
| 2025 Australian Open | Quarter-final | Jannik Sinner |
Alex de Minaur is stunned in Acapulco
De Minaur’s hopes of winning a second consecutive title were torn to shreds on Tuesday, when he lost to Patrick Kypson in the first round of the Acapulco Open.
Kypson, the American world number 103, defeated the Australian 6-1, 6-7, 7-6 in the Mexican city of Acapulco.
After the match Kypson said: “It feels amazing. Everything was important. I had to serve well. I had to return well. I did my forehand really big. Luckily, I was able to do those things for a pretty extended period of time.”
If you were in charge of tennis, what is the first rule you would change?
De Minaur will rue his missed chances against Kypson; the Australian was two points from victory when he served for the match at 5-4 in the final set.
The Australian will now look ahead to the Indian Wells Masters, which is set to begin on March 4.
