Alex de Minaur is one of the most likeable players on the ATP Tour, and he makes it so easy to root for him.
After all, he boasts a work ethic that demands admiration, and an upbeat personality that continues to win fans.
However, for all his effort and application, at the Grand Slam level, it feels as though he remains wanting.
The Australian is a seven-time major quarter-finalist, having never made it further than that stage. As impressive as he can be at these events, the barrier is clear.
And, what’s even more worrying is a recent statistic that has emerged, which makes his Grand Slam dream only feel further away.
Alex de Minaur’s worrying record against the best players on the ATP Tour
Realistically, if Alex de Minaur is to break past his current quarter-final hoodoo, or even go all the way, he will likely have to defeat one of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev.
However, his record against all four makes for rather dire reading, especially when excluding team events like the ATP Cup, United Cup, and the Davis Cup.
If those results are removed, the 27-year-old has never beaten any of this elite quartet, losing all 29 meetings.
His aspiration for the majors is clear, and De Minaur has not been shy in voicing it either.
Viewing a statistic as damning as this does make it hard to imagine him ever surpassing that quarter-final block, especially given his inability to capitalise at this year’s Roland Garros or Wimbledon events, where Alcaraz was absent from both, and Sinner and Djokovic both lost early in Paris.
Despite his dire combined record, De Minaur retains his patented positivity, even if it has felt like more and more negativity has been creeping into some of his post-match assessments.
What Alex de Minaur said about challenging Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz last year
After his loss at Roland Garros, De Minaur gave an emotional interview, where he said: “It kind of feels like the door has been shut in front of me. Once in a blue moon you get an opportunity like this, and you have to be able to take it, and I did exactly the opposite today.”
It marked a sad day for normally such an upbeat player, as he realised the gravity of his failure. Opportunities like that do not come around often, as, before this year, Alcaraz and Sinner had shared all of the last eight Grand Slam titles.
However, it did mark a pretty sharp change from De Minaur’s comments after the ATP Finals at the back end of 2025.
There, he almost issued a war cry, insisting he was getting closer to competing with the world’s best.
He argued: ”I feel like I’ve gained a lot of momentum recently in these types of matches [against Sinner and Alcaraz].
“I’ve gone from a stage where, hey, you go out there, you compete, but you’re not really getting a lot of chances. I do feel like I’m getting my chances, right?
“But I do feel like I’m heading in the right direction, right? I’m gaining momentum. I do think that they feel it, as well.
“I do think we’re going to be knocking on the door, right? They’ve played at an incredibly high level for an extended period of time.”