Alex de Minaur is putting together another impressive run at the Rotterdam Open, continuing the strong form he showed in 2024.
The 25-year-old Australian, one of the ATP Tour’s most consistent performers, recently reached the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time, before falling to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
After his Melbourne setback, De Minaur quickly shifted focus to Rotterdam, where he defeated Jakub Mensik and Daniel Altmaier to advance to the semi-finals—marking his fourth straight year reaching at least the quarter-finals in the Netherlands.
Last year, De Minaur made the final before losing to Sinner in straight sets. Now, he’s eyeing the title—but admits there’s one glaring weakness in his game he needs to address.
De Minaur Calls His Serving Stats ‘Embarrassing’
Ahead of the Rotterdam Open, De Minaur participated in an ATP Tour video alongside French rising star Arthur Fils, where the pair guessed players based on their 2024 stats.
When analyzing big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, De Minaur joked:
“It just shows you just need a serve. I mean, he’s already got two titles.”
Both players agreed they would love to have Mpetshi Perricard’s dominant serve.
However, De Minaur’s mood shifted after seeing his own stats:
| Attribute | Rating | ATP Tour Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Serve Quality | 7.48 | 74th |
| Return Quality | 7.17 | 6th |
| Forehand Quality | 7.69 | 27th |
| Backhand Quality | 7.50 | 14th |
Reacting to his serve ranking, De Minaur said:
“74th on tour—that is embarrassing.
I didn’t think I had a problem with my serve until I saw that.
I need to work on my serve, that’s the moral of the story.”
Despite the disappointing stat, De Minaur managed to find a silver lining:
“I think I’m overachieving with my stats.”
De Minaur to Face Mattia Bellucci in Rotterdam Semis
Next up for De Minaur is Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci, who has been the surprise package of the tournament. Bellucci stunned Daniil Medvedev in the second round and backed it up by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach his first-ever ATP semi-final.
Currently ranked No. 92 in the world, Bellucci will seek his second career win over a top-10 opponent—having notched his first earlier this week.
De Minaur, however, will be confident, having won 29 of his last 30 matches against players ranked outside the top 30. Saturday’s semi-final will mark the first meeting between De Minaur and Bellucci.
