Alex de Minaur backed to challenge for grand slam titles despite fourth round Aus Open exit

Former Aussie tennis players remain confident that Alex de Minaur has what it takes to win a grand slam, but maybe there’s one particular tournament that suits him best.

Former Australian players John Millman and Alicia Molik remain confident Alex de Minaur has the game to be a grand slam challenger as they predicted he could produce his best on grass at Wimbledon following his heart-breaking exit at Melbourne Park.

After de Minaur’s fourth-round exit against No.5 seed Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open on Sunday, the Australian star still has just the one quarter-final appearance to his name at grand slams.

De Minaur reached the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows in 2020, but has since suffered five fourth-round exits, including three at his home grand slam at Melbourne Park.

Questions remain over whether the 24-year-old has the weapons in his game - particularly with his serve - to match the players at the pointy end of the world top 10 and put himself in contention to win a major.

But former Billie Jean King Cup captain Molik, a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open in 2005, was adamant world No. 10 de Minaur was capable of winning a grand slam.

De Minaur says goodbye to the Australian Open in 2024. Picture: Getty Images

And she predicted Wimbledon could be the place which brought out the best in de Minaur.

“He’s capable. Gee, he got close (Sunday) night, didn’t he? Rublev I think got to the highest gear that he needed to go in order to beat Alex,” Molik said.

“I love watching him because he can flip the switch pretty quickly to make players really uncomfortable and I think watching (Sunday) night, if it would have been in the US Open or Wimbledon, I think no question, Alex would have won that match, would have then put him in contention to win the slam.

“So I think he’s got to bide his time a little bit, but he’s one of those guys that can take your time away, can surprise you, his variation, can play quick...he has incredible feel and touch.

“I think we’re going to see the best of Alex on grass to be honest. That’s my opinion.

“But absolutely he can win a slam.”

The recently retired Millman, who reached the quarter-finals at the US Open in 2018, agreed de Minaur was equipped with the game to challenge for a grand slam - and most importantly now had the belief he could beat the best.

“I’m a big believer that self-belief is half the battle and I believe he has full belief now in his game,” the Channel Nine expert tennis commentator said.

“I think this will lead him to continued improved success at grand slams.

“I believe we will see him do so as early as Wimbledon. A surface I think he is one of the best in the world on.

“The thing I believe is the most significant thing he has learnt is he now expects to be winning these types of matches, which I think is the most promising thing to come of that loss (to Rublev).

“He now fully believes he belongs at the pointy end of these tournaments.”

De Minaur might be best suited to the Wimbledon surface. Picture: Getty Images

Molik and Millman both acknowledged de Minaur’s serve was one area of his game he could sharpen in his quest to become a grand slam challenger.

In the past year, de Minaur is ranked at No.50 in the world for his serve, according to the ATP statistics.

The 24-year-old has won 81.2 per cent of his service games compared to 88.1 per cent of the top-ranked player, Hubert Hurkacz, and won on 73.1 per cent of his first serves - six per cent off the benchmark.

But de Minaur is ranked at No.5 for returns, which are led by Daniil Medvedev.

Millman said de Minaur did not need to “reinvent the wheel” with his game, but believed he had already made improvements with his serve.

“Being in the top 10 in the world I don’t feel like he has many weaknesses,” Millman said.

“But the biggest area he can continue to improve is his ability to win free points on serve.

“He doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel. Throughout his young career, each season he’s added elements and made improvements to his game.

“In the last 12 months, for example, he’s made noticeable improvements to both his serve and slice backhand.

“He’s now consistently matching it with higher ranked opponents as seen at the United Cup.”

Molik said she would like to see de Minaur take a few more risks with his serves.

“For Alex, he’s identified he wants to play more aggressively,” Molik said.

“You know, maybe he can up the risk on his serve a little bit more.”

Originally published as Alex de Minaur backed to challenge for grand slam titles despite fourth round Aus Open exit