Alex de Minaur begins his Barcelona Open campaign this week, aiming for improved consistency after a challenging start to the clay court season. He recently lost in the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters and has struggled since his victory in Rotterdam in February.
Photo by Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images
Alex de Minaur will open his Barcelona Open run this week, hoping to find more consistency after a slow start to the clay court swing.
De Minaur exited the Monte-Carlo Masters in the quarterfinals, falling in three sets to home favourite Valentin Vacherot. Since winning Rotterdam back in February, heâs struggled for form.
He was knocked out early at both the Mexican Open and Miami Open and picked up just one win at Indian Wells.
But there were some encouraging signs in Monte-Carlo. De Minaur managed back-to-back wins for the first time in a while, giving him something to build on heading into Barcelona.
Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
Alex de Minaur reflects on his form following the Monte-Carlo Masters
Speaking to Tennis TV about how he feels his clay game is shaping up, De Minaur said: âYeah, look, it could be better, it could be worse, right? If you get a couple of wins under your belt, itâs always a good thing.
âIt always gives you a little bit of confidence. But at the same time, I still feel like thereâs plenty of things I would like to improve on and get better with.
âBut it was the first week on clay, so you take the positives, you move on to the next week, and hopefully you can tweak a couple of things and play even better.
âWhat did I like? I liked that I got back into the winnerâs circle. I felt like after a tough month, which wasnât really like myself, I got a couple of early losses.
âAnd even though my level wasnât bad, or I didnât feel like I was too afraid about my level, I just wasnât able to win those matches, right?
âSo to get back, win a couple of tough matches, play the bigger points a little bit better, it kind of gives you a little bit of confidence.
âAnd obviously, just movement and feeling comfortable and adapting to a completely different game style on the clay has worked so far.â
Alex de Minaur sets clear target for clay swing ahead of Roland Garros
The build-up to Roland Garros is a busy one on the clay calendar, with three ATP Masters 1000 events scheduled in Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome.
âIt is a very long stint,â said De Minaur. âAnd these first couple of weeks, theyâre great because theyâre one-week events, right?
âAnd then kind of everythingâs a lot more straightforward. You play, you back up the next day, and it makes it kind of easier to get into routines. Itâs normally the Madrid-Rome stint, which is quite a long one.
âAnd ultimately, the only way to make it shorter really is to win a lot of matches, right? So thatâs going to be the goal to hopefully be in the tournaments, to get a lot of matches.
âItâs an opportunity for me to try and gain some points, gain some momentum going into Paris, but itâs all going to come down to me being fresh mentally. I think thatâs going to be the biggest thing.â
De Minaur faces Sebastian Ofner in his opening round match at the Barcelona Open.
What were Alex de Minaur's recent performances before the Barcelona Open?
Before the Barcelona Open, Alex de Minaur exited the Monte-Carlo Masters in the quarterfinals and had early exits at both the Mexican Open and Miami Open.
Who did Alex de Minaur lose to in the Monte-Carlo Masters?
Alex de Minaur lost to home favourite Valentin Vacherot in the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
When did Alex de Minaur last win a tournament before the Barcelona Open?
Alex de Minaur last won a tournament in February at the Rotterdam Open.
What is Alex de Minaur hoping to achieve at the Barcelona Open?
Alex de Minaur is hoping to find more consistency and improve his performance after a slow start to the clay court season at the Barcelona Open.
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