Alex de Minaur began his Rotterdam Open campaign in style on Tuesday, defeating youngster Arthur Fils in straight sets.
De Minaur made a mockery of his difficult draw in the Dutch city, comfortably defeating Fils 7-6, 6-2; potentially setting up a second-round clash against Stan Wawrinka.
As the number one seed, de Minaur is one of the favourites for the title. The Australian has twice reached the final in Rotterdam – the second occasion being in 2025 when he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.
However, despite advancing on Wednesday, de Minaur expressed his displeasure regarding his preparation ahead of the match.
Alex de Minaur has been struggling in Rotterdam practices
“I have struggled a lot in practice,” said the Australian in an interview with BolaVIP. “I have actually been quite frustrated with the balls in practice, which is not like me. I do get what Daniil says about the balls.”
“They are definitely not my favourite. I don’t think they are anyone’s favourite balls. They are very difficult to control.
“It is tough to explain it, but it is a very dead ball. It does suit the big hitters, the players that have a big revolution on the ball and are able to hit through that.
“But again, it is what it is. The ball or the court is not going to change and my job is to adapt and do my best and continue doing that.”
Earlier this week, Daniil Medvedev complained to a Rotterdam Open supervisor about the quality of the tennis balls being used at the event.
Medvedev questioned whether the balls were ’round,’ later claiming that they are ‘horrible’ during a mid-match outburst.
This is not the first time Medvedev has complained about the balls on Tour.
| Round | Opponent | Score |
| First Round | David Goffin | 6-2, 6-4 |
| Second Round | Jakub Mensik | 6-4, 6-4 |
| Quarter-finals | Daniel Altmaier | 6-1, 6-4 |
| Semi-finals | Mattia Bellucci | 6-1, 6-2 |
| Final | Carlos Alcaraz | 4-6, 6-3, 2-6 |
Speaking about the balls used at the 2024 Shanghai Masters, the Russian said: “These balls are not good enough for professional tennis.
“This is one of the biggest tournaments in the world and the balls are destroyed after five games. No pressure at all.”
Carlos Alcaraz’s previous complaints about tennis balls being used on the ATP Tour
Last February, Carlos Alcaraz raised concerns regarding the variety of balls being used on the Tour while playing in Rotterdam.
“I think last year [2024] there were many injuries, many players with elbow or shoulder issues,” Alcaraz said, as per Tennis365. “Something needs to change. I know they will change it.
“Every week, practically every week, we have different balls, different conditions, so it’s complicated to adapt to them.
“However, we are here to give our best and give the best of ourselves. I have not had physical problems because of it so far, I work every day to be in shape. Right now, I’m fine.”
Alcaraz, who won the 2025 Rotterdam title, withdrew from this year’s event immediately after winning the 2026 Australian Open.
His next event is set to be the Qatar Open, which starts on February 16.