It is a case of no pain, no gain for Alex de Minaur and his bid for a place in the season-ending ATP Finals.
The Australian world No.10 has vowed to continue pushing himself over the next couple of weeks whilst still coping with the aftereffects of an injury issue he suffered earlier in the season. De Monaur sustained a cartilage tear high in his right hip and adductor longus muscle during his fourth round match at Wimbledon which sidelined him from singles tournaments for over a month. He returned to action at the US Open where he reached the quarter-finals before withdrawing from more tournaments due to his physical issues in Asia.
Despite these setbacks, the 25-year-old still has a chance of qualifying for the Tour Finals in Turin and recently posted solid results in Europe, reaching the quarter-finals of the European Open and then the semi-finals in Vienna.
“It’s causing instability in a couple of different areas, so I feel it in the adductor a little bit, and a little bit higher up, near the pubis, so it’s not an easy one,” De Minaur said of his injury during an interview with WAtoday.
“There’s a sharp pain with [certain] movements, and it makes it tough to go out and be my usual self, retrieving many of the balls that I’m so used to putting back in play. Now, it makes it a bit more unknown with what I’m going to be able to do on any given day.”
De Minaur is seeded ninth at this week’s Paris Masters where he will begin his campaign against Argentina’s Mariano Navone on Tuesday. He is currently ninth in the Race to Turin where only the top eight will secure a place in the tournament. However, he could gain some places depending on how he and his rivals perform. Furthermore, there is speculation that Novak Djokovic could end his season early but the Serbian is yet to officially confirm this.
“I know that it’s not going to be my only chance or shot at this [qualifying for ATP finals]. I know that I’ve got plenty more to give, so I’m doing my best to make it happen this year, but if it doesn’t happen, I believe that everything happens for a reason, and it’s just going to make me stronger into next year.” He said.
“The goal is to play. It all depends on the body, but sure as hell I’m going to push myself to do my best, to dig deep … I’m just going to put my head down, compete and try my best.”
After Paris, de Minaur is scheduled to play in Belgrade next week where he could add more points to his tally. Should he qualify for the ATP Finals, he would become the first Australian singles player to play in the event since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004. Hewitt also qualified for the ATP Finals in 2005 but didn’t play due to the birth of his first child.
The Race to Turin (prior to the Paris Masters)
- Jannik Sinner (Italy) 10,340 points
- Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) 6720
- Alex Zverev (Germany) 6325
- Daniil Medvedev (Russia) 4830
- Taylor Fritz (United States) 4300
- Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 3910
- Casper Ruud (Norway) 3855
- Andrey Rublev (Russia) 3720
- Alex de Minaur (Australia) 3555
- Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) 3150
- Tommy Paul (United States) 3145
- Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) 3015