The major success might not have come for Alex de Minaur, but the Australian continued to hit new heights in 2025.
The Australian ended the season at a career-high ranking of World No. 6 after reaching the semi-finals of the ATP Finals.
De Minaur vowed to change form against Sinner and Alcaraz after failing to beat either man once again in 2025.
Ahead of his appearance at the United Cup, the Australian has confirmed how he plans to challenge Sinner and Alcaraz.
Alex de Minaur aims to disrupt Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Speaking about his ambitions to challenge Sinner and Alcaraz, he said: “I’ve played some very close matches over the years with both of them and you feel like you’re getting closer and closer.”
The Australian is about to play a home tournament at the United Cup and he’s confirmed what he’s trying to change in order to climb the rankings and challenge at Grand Slams.
Will Alex de Minaur finish 2026 ranked inside the top five?
“You’ve got to work on your game, find new weapons. For me, it’s finding different ways to hurt these players and trying to be ready to take more risks and be a little bit more of a disruptor.
“There’s a couple of things here and there that we’ve tried to work towards in my team throughout this off-season to try to take the next step, and that’s obviously the next goal.
“I’m ultimately trying to get bigger and stronger and just keep on improving. Over the years I’ve gained a little bit of weight, which has definitely helped me. There’s no substitute for hard work, so that’s what we’ll be doing.”
De Minaur will head into the Australian Open looking to become the first home winner of the Grand Slam since Mark Edmondson in 1976.
Alex de Minaur outlines his plan for 2026
The Australian has made it his trademark of being one of the hardest workers on the ATP Tour, and he often plays more matches than most of the top players.
In 2026, de Minaur wants that to change but only if it is because he’s reaching the latter stages of the big tournaments.
What is your bold prediction for the 2026 tennis season?
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Speaking to The Guardian, he said: “It’s now about building for Australia, making sure I arrive there ready to go but just being wary of not getting too burnt out.
“I don’t think I want to be playing too much more, ideally playing less, but that all depends on results as well. So hopefully the results can help me out, and then I’ll gladly play [fewer] weeks. That means I’m doing well.”
De Minaur has reached the quarter-finals of every Grand Slam in his career, but he’s never gone any further.
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