Alex de Minaur blows golden opportunity as tennis rocked over Jannik Sinner confession

Yahoo

01-05-2025

Alex de Minaur has let slip a huge opportunity to improve his world ranking and win a clay court title after going down to Lorenzo Musetti in Madrid as Jannik Sinner made a shock reveal he contemplated walking away from tennis. De Minaur had a golden opportunity to push deep into the Madrid Open this week with Carlos Alcaraz not entering the tournament and Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev eliminated in the early rounds.
But after winning his first two matches in straight sets, de Minaur was bundled out in the same manner to Musetti 6-4 6-2. The Italian defeated the 26-year-old Aussie in Monte Carlo two weeks ago and prevailed again in the Spanish capital wth de Minaur failing to make a dent on Musetti's serve.
De Minaur didn't earn a single break point across the two sets and only won 42 per cent of his second serve. Musetti has proved to have the Aussie's measure on clay this season and will now surge into the top 10 rankings.
De Minaur will rue his missed opportunity to reach the quarter-final with the Aussie the second-highest seed left in the draw after Jack Draper. The British star has now surged ahead of de Minaur in the rankings ahead of Roland Garros and has more time to distance himself as a top 10 player. De Minaur also faces the prospect of dropping down if Daniil Medvedev and Musetti reach the semi-final.
While de Minaur is enjoying a stellar year having won the most singles matches on tour, his struggles against top opportunity are being laid bare. The Aussie is still seeking his first title in 2025 and it was pointed out it's only going to get harder for him with the younger generation getting stronger and stronger.
Regardless, de Minaur might fancy his opportunity at Roland Garros across five sets. One of the Aussie's best weapons is his speed and endurance, which will serve him well on the clay courts of Paris. His main goal till then is improving on his ranking to avoid the top seeds such as the returning Sinner and Alcaraz in the draw until later in the tournament.
🇮🇹 Sinner🇪🇸 Alcaraz🇬🇧 Draper🇩🇰 Rune🇮🇹 Musetti🇺🇸 Shelton🇫🇷 Fils🇨🇿 MensikAre somehow all 23 or younger.Makes it real tough to think about 🇦🇺 Alex de Minaur's grand slam chances as a veteran 26-year-old.
— Connor Joyce (@connorjoyceb) April 30, 2025
Reigning Australian Open champion Sinner has revealed the internal struggles he was facing ahead of his tennis suspension for doping. The current World No.1 entered the Australian Open earlier this year unclear if he would face a lengthy suspension because of his doping case from the previous year. Sinner failed a doping test after he blamed a masseur for giving him a banned cream.
Sinner claimed he was struggling ahead of the Australian Open with no news on his case and admitted he had contemplated quitting the sport. "Yes. I remember that I wasn't in a very happy place before the Australian Open this year," he said to Italian broadcaster Rai TV ahead of his imminent return.
Since winning the opening grand slam of the year, Sinner was handed a three-month suspension that will see him return at the Italian Open in the coming weeks. But the 23-year-old has opened up about the toll the ordeal took on him.
"I arrived in Australia and didn't feel comfortable, whether in the locker room or while eating. The players were looking at me differently. That wasn't nice," he said.
"It's hard to live like that in tennis. I've always been someone who jokes around, goes into the locker room, and talks to this or that player. But now it was different, and it didn't feel good." Many have claimed Sinner was treated differently to other players with the World No.1 still able to play tennis as the case went on.
His three-month ban was also deemed leniently by many. However, Sinner has slapped down those claims and denied he did anything wrong. "There were no different procedures, even though there was criticism in my case that I was treated differently. But I had many hearings. And maybe they even tested me more afterwards," Sinner added.
"I struggled to accept those three months. In my mind, I thought I didn't do anything wrong. I wouldn't wish anyone to go through something like this as an innocent person."