Alex de Minaur has made a strong start to his Madrid Open campaign, defeating Lorenzo Sonego 6-2, 6-3. The Australian has carried impressive form into the clay court season, reaching the semi-finals in Monte Carlo and the quarter-finals in Barcelona.
Notably, during the Monte Carlo Masters, De Minaur achieved a milestone that even Rafael Nadal hadn’t accomplished against Grigor Dimitrov. Now in Madrid, despite his early success, De Minaur has voiced some dissatisfaction with the tournament’s expanded format.
De Minaur Criticizes Lengthy Masters 1000 Format
Speaking to the media after his win over Sonego, De Minaur expressed his preference for the traditional one-week Masters 1000 tournaments, like the Monte Carlo Masters.
“Even though we don’t play every day, the extended format keeps us in competition mode for a long time,” De Minaur explained. “We must maintain our routines, stay mentally focused, and continuously prepare for matches. Two consecutive extended tournaments keep us in that mindset for a month. I prefer formats like Monte Carlo — no long breaks, and everything wraps up within a week.”
In recent years, both the ATP and WTA Tours have expanded many Masters 1000 events to two weeks. Currently, only Monte Carlo and the Paris Masters remain one-week tournaments on the ATP calendar.
De Minaur isn’t alone in his opinion — fellow star Carlos Alcaraz has also expressed a preference for the shorter format.
Eyeing Continued Clay Court Success
The world No. 7 has shown marked improvement on clay this season, matching his career-best Madrid Open result by reaching the third round. He has only two top-10 wins on clay in his career so far but believes he’s now ready to challenge the best.
“Three years ago, this part of the season was tough for me because I struggled to compete at my usual level,” said De Minaur. “My goal has always been to be solid on every surface. I feel close to my peak on clay now, and I believe I can beat anyone.”
Next, De Minaur faces Denis Shapovalov in the third round. He holds a 4-0 head-to-head record over the Canadian — though this will be their first meeting on clay.
