Alex de Minaur is chasing “bigger and better things” after falling to Carlos Alcaraz in the Rotterdam Open final, but the defeat laid bare a stark truth about the Aussie tennis star that’s tough to overlook.
For the second year running, de Minaur stumbled in the Rotterdam final, missing out on becoming only the second Australian to claim the ATP 500 title. Lleyton Hewitt, his mentor and sometime coach—who once welcomed de Minaur into his family home as a fledgling player—remains the lone Aussie victor, triumphing in 2004.
In consecutive Rotterdam finals, de Minaur has been toppled by Grand Slam champs, exposing the gulf between the sport’s elite and the pack. Last year, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner bested him; this time, World No. 3 Alcaraz prevailed. It’s the sixth time de Minaur has lost a major final to a top-10 foe, with Stefanos Tsitsipas, Roger Federer, and Alexander Zverev also thwarting him in title clashes.
Still, 2025 has been a breakout for de Minaur. He reached the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time, then battled to the Rotterdam decider, vaulting past Grand Slam titans Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev to World No. 6. A top-five debut looms. Yet his ledger against the game’s best is grim: 0-10 versus Sinner, 2-8 against Zverev, 0-3 against Alcaraz, 1-2 versus Djokovic, and 3-7 against Medvedev. He’s fared better against Taylor Fritz (5-5), Casper Ruud (2-0), and Tommy Paul (5-0).
**Alex de Minaur Offered Harsh Reality Check**
His struggles against the top three underscore the climb ahead for Grand Slam or big ATP glory. Post-Rotterdam, he said, “I’ve improved a lot these past few years, and I’ll keep pushing. Two years with the runner-up trophy—I hope to grab the winner’s one day. It’s a proud week, even feeling off-court with illness. I had chances today, could’ve done more in spots, but he stepped up and earned it.”
**Does Alex de Minaur Have the Game to Win a Grand Slam?**
After Sinner crushed him in the Australian Open quarters, de Minaur mused on luck and matchups. “Tennis is all about who you face,” he told reporters. “Jannik’s my toughest matchup—0-10 says it all. On another draw side, who knows? I’ll get chances. Quarter-finals aren’t my ceiling. Others have hit semis, finals—I can too. If they’ve done it, why not me?”
