De Minaur held his personal within the baseline battle with Rublev – ending with extra winners and fewer unforced errors, though he considerably misplaced the essential 0-4 shot rallies – and his willingness to step contained in the baseline, take higher dangers and undertake a extra aggressive strategy typically was apparent.
“I believe night time and day a distinct participant,” de Minaur mentioned of his evolution.
“Perhaps a few years in the past, and even final yr, I’d be sitting right here, possibly even pleased with the consequence, saying, ‘I most likely shouldn’t have received, he’s increased ranked than I’m, I took him to 5 units, fairly first rate effort’.
“Nevertheless it’s utterly modified as a result of now I’m sitting right here, and I’m completely devastated as a result of I noticed it as an important alternative and a match that I strongly believed I might have received, but it surely simply slipped away.”
De Minaur spoke within the lead-up to the Rublev showdown about how he needed to be extra aggressive towards the tour’s greatest, and he went out and did it. Phrases are simple, actions are exhausting.
This progress in his recreation, underneath coach Adolfo Gutierrez’s watch, is a very long time within the making. He’s each bodily and mentally stronger.
Alex de Minaur was shut, however not shut sufficient, to Andrey Rublev. Credit score: Eddie Jim
Since ending his drought towards top-five rivals together with his defeat of Daniil Medvedev on the Paris Masters in late 2022, he has made a behavior of beating the perfect. De Minaur boasts 9 top-10 scalps for the reason that begin of final yr – and Rublev was very almost his tenth.
Roland-Garros is his subsequent likelihood to contest a serious however that occasion, on Parisian clay, all the time tasks as his most tough to thrive. He’s certain to be a risk to make it deep at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Loading
That can come later. For now, de Minaur will briefly go into reflection mode a few summer season that didn’t finish how he needed it to however that also continued his optimistic trajectory.
He’ll slip exterior the highest 10 after the Australian Open after climbing into that territory for the primary time this month due to his wins over Taylor Fritz, world No.1 Novak Djokovic and Alex Zverev.
However that may be a short-term setback to de Minaur’s longer-term ambition, which stays on monitor.
“It’s a bit disappointing [but] in due time, I’ll take the three top-10 wins at United Cup, I’ll take it as confidence,” he mentioned.
“Even this match, I’m enjoying some nice tennis. It’s the beginning of the yr. Importantly, if I can preserve this stage all through the entire yr, I’m fairly assured that I’ll be capable of end the place I wish to.”
Watch all of the Australian Open motion reside on 9, 9Gem, 9Now and ad-free on Stan Sport.
Information, outcomes and skilled evaluation from the weekend of sport despatched each Monday. Join our Sport publication.