Alex de Minaur lost to Flavio Cobolli in the fourth round of Wimbledon.
The Aussie let another golden opportunity to win a Grand Slam slip through his fingers, losing to Cobolli in straight sets.
After the match, De Minaur said he wouldn’t replace coach Adolfo Gutierrez despite the defeat.
Give us your one crazy prediction for the second week of Wimbledon!
However, Andy Murray’s former coach, Mark Petchey, isn’t sure he agrees.
Mark Petchey thinks Alex de Minaur should hire a new coach ‘with a bit more passion’ after latest defeat
Working as a pundit for ‘Stan Sport‘, Petchey shared his thoughts on De Minaur’s future.
“There is a moment in your career, and I had it against Sandon Stolle. I lost to Sandon, and I remember sitting in a hotel room crying for about five hours,” said Petchey.
“Somehow he’s got to find something to change up, just to try and get the magic back, get the enthusiasm back for the sport.”
When asked what he thinks De Minaur needs to change, Petchey pointed towards his coaching setup.
“Maybe it is time to freshen up things around him,” he said.
“Maybe he just needs a little bit of a different voice.
“He just needs somebody with a bit more passion, slightly different vibe.
“It’s very intense because Alex wants to win one of these, and I get that, and I get how everyone is reacting.
“But maybe it would have been easier for him if he had somebody to bounce off, who is getting out of their chair, really fist bumping, a hype man or a hype woman.
“That is maybe going to be the thing that could maybe get him out of the slump in some of those moments.”
Gutierrez has coached De Minaur since he was nine, and has guided him to 11 ATP titles and a career-high ranking of sixth in the world.
Alex de Minaur’s career achievements
- ATP Titles – 11 (2019 Sydney International, 2019 Atlanta Open, 2019 Zhuhai Championships, 2021 Antalya Open, 2021 Eastbourne International, 2022 Atlanta Open, 2023 Mexican Open, 2024 Mexican Open, 2024 Libema Open, 2025 Washington Open, 2026 Rotterdam Open)
- Best Grand Slam result – QF (2020 US Open, 2024 French Open, 2024 Wimbledon, 2024 US Open, 2025 Australian Open, 2025 US Open, 2026 Australian Open)
- Best Masters 1000 result – F (2023 Canadian Open)
- Best Davis Cup result – F (2022, 2023)
- Career-high rank – 6th
However, there is an argument to be made that Gutierrez has taken De Minaur as far as he can.
With Carlos Alcaraz out injured and both Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic looking vulnerable this summer, De Minaur was gifted two great chances to make deep runs at the French Open and Wimbledon, if not to win his maiden Grand Slam title.
But he failed to rise to the occasion in Paris and in London, losing in the third round of the French Open and in the fourth round of Wimbledon.
De Minaur’s issue had been with beating the ‘big three’ of Alcaraz, Sinner, and Djokovic, but his recent struggles have proven there is a deeper issue.
Alex de Minaur’s H2H records against the most successful active players
- 0-13 vs Jannik Sinner
- 0-6 vs Carlos Alcaraz
- 1-3 vs Novak Djokovic
To solve that issue, perhaps De Minaur does need to bring in a new coach.
Replacing Gutierrez wouldn’t be a slight on the work they did together, far from it, but it could give him the boost he needs to maximise his potential.
Why Alex de Minaur might not change coaches
De Minaur was clearly emotional during his post-match press conference, although he did suggest that Gutierrez would remain in charge.
And in De Minaur’s defence, you can understand why he would say that.
After all, he has worked with the Spaniard for the best part of 20 years and trusts him completely.
In addition to that, it’s not like the 27-year-old is in free-fall.
De Minaur could actually debut at a career-high ranking of fifth in the world next Monday.
Live ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points | Max points post-Wimbledon |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 11,850 | 13,450 |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 8,160 | 8,160 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 7,380 | 9,180 |
| 4 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 4,740 | 6,340 |
| 5 | Alex de Minaur | Australia | 4,110 | 4,110 |
| 6 | Ben Shelton | USA | 3,770 | 3,770 |
| 7 | Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 3,670 | 3,670 |
| 8 | Flavio Cobolli | Italy | 3,460 | 5,060 |
| 9 | Taylor Fritz | USA | 3,365 | 4,965 |
| 10 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 3,360 | 4,960 |
So, if De Minaur is happy to remain a top-10 player, then maybe there is no reason to change things.
But if he wants to take a risk to improve his chances of claiming a Grand Slam title, now might be the time to do so.
De Minaur will return to tennis at the Washington Open later this month, but we will have to wait and see if he does so with Gutierrez in his corner.
