Alex de Minaur says his injury setback in 2024 has provided him with a golden opportunity to return to the world’s top 10 before the US Open.
The Australian No.1 will return to action this week at the Citi Open in Washington in what will be his first tournament since Wimbledon. Unlike 2024, de Minaur will be playing in a series of tournaments, including two Masters 1000s, in North America before the next Grand Slam takes place. Last year, he was unable to play after sustaining a hip injury whilst competing on the grass.
As a result, the 26-year-old will not be defending any points in Washington, Toronto and Cincinnati. Deep runs at these tournaments will secure his return to the top 10 and strengthen his ranking position. Toronto could be a particular target for de Minaur, considering a series of high-profile withdrawals from Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper and Novak Djokovic.
“It was somewhat difficult at the start of the year and mentally taxing knowing that I had zeros on my ranking because I missed three Masters [also Shanghai],” De Minaur told atptour.com.
“I knew it would be important to put myself in a good position for the back end of the year when I have little to defend, giving hope that I could gain some serious points and momentum and build on the ranking. So going into the tail end of the year, I’m excited for the opportunity and hoping I can play good tennis and take care of my chances.”
So far this season, de Minaur’s best result was reaching the final in Rotterdam before losing in three sets to Alcaraz. He was also a semi-finalist at the Monte Carlo Masters. However, he is currently 0-5 when it comes to playing top 10 opponents on the Tour.
One of those five losses was against Djokovic at Wimbledon, whom he took the first set off of before losing 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
“I felt like I had my chances,” he reflected. “We should have been in a fifth set. It slipped away pretty quickly, but those are the matches I need to start winning. I’ve identified a few areas to work on with my team, and hopefully that helps me take the next step.”
Working with his team and using his experience on the Tour, de Minaur hopes it will enable him to reach new highs in his career over the coming months.
“I’ve got the experience now. I’ve got the knowledge, the physicality side of things. Everything is just there for me to go out and perform,” he said. “I can really have a swing these next three or four years and really show that I’m at my peak and break through some barriers.
“I’m ready to go deep into tournaments. It’s just up to myself to put those results right.”
De Minaur is seeded seventh at the Citi Open.
