Alex de Minaur has criticised the “unsettling” process that led to world No.1 Jannik Sinner striking a deal with anti-doping authorities on a ban that will expire before the next grand slam.
De Minaur is friends with Sinner and hits regularly with him, but Australia’s top-10 star remains disappointed with the secretive nature of the investigation into, and subsequent deal with, the Italian.
Jannik Sinner and Alex de Minaur at this year’s Australian Open.Credit: AP
He also revealed in an interview with this masthead ahead of Indian Wells how his hectic start to the year had taken a toll mentally, and that he was learning on the run about dealing with expectation.
“Jannik is an incredible guy. I’ve grown up with him, and I’ve seen his values and what he’s done on and off the court. I’ve got nothing but great things to say about him,” de Minaur said.
“Where probably the issue is with all the players is how the process has taken place. That’s what’s made it a little bit unsettling for the players … the deal and [how differently] things have happened in the past.
“We were kept in the dark until the very end, so that’s what has caused all the rattles.”
Tennis’ integrity unit cleared Sinner of any wrongdoing last year after a private, five-month investigation into his two positive tests for banned steroid clostebol.
However, a World Anti-Doping Agency appeal meant there was supposed to be a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in April this year. That never went ahead because Sinner accepted a negotiated three-month suspension.
Sinner is due to return in early May, ahead of the Rome Masters, but seems likely to hold on to his No.1 ranking, given his massive buffer over his nearest rivals.
No.10 de Minaur, who faces Lorenzo Sonego or David Goffin in the second round at Indian Wells, is in his own race, with only 715 points separating fifth and 11th.
De Minaur thanks the home fans at the Australian Open after bowing out in the quarter-finals in January.Credit: AP
“It keeps you on edge because you know that every week counts,” de Minaur said. “Whether you have a good week, or if you have a bad week, you’re going to go up or down in the rankings. It is exciting, in that sense … but it shows how tight it is at the top.”
The challenge for de Minaur, particularly in the first half of this year, is how many points he must defend from an outstanding 2024 season.
The rankings system operates on a revolving 12-month basis, whereby the previous year’s points drop off on a weekly basis.
De Minaur produced remarkable consistency in reaching the last 16 at the Australian Open last year and the quarter-finals at the other three grand slams, as well as winning the Acapulco title for the second time.
The 26-year-old arrived in Australia this past summer with sky-high expectations, and advanced to the last eight at Melbourne Park for the first time before also making the Rotterdam final last month.
It took Sinner and Alcaraz to beat him at those respective tournaments, while he lost a third-set tie-break to eventual champion Andrey Rublev in the Doha quarter-finals and fit in a successful Davis Cup mission in Sweden in between.
That schedule may have been at least partly to blame for de Minaur’s first-round exit to Marin Cilic in Dubai last week.
“I wanted to do a lot better in Dubai, but I felt a bit fatigued mentally. It’s been, obviously, a pretty big start to the year,” he said.
De Minaur was runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in Rotterdam.Credit: AP
“But I think it’s definitely helped me to come to Indian Wells nice and early, have a little bit of time to feel refreshed, and ready to go again. I didn’t touch a racquet for four or five days. I spent a lot of time on the golf course, and relaxing and having a second to take a deep breath.”
There is some relief on the horizon for de Minaur.
A serious hip injury last year at Wimbledon derailed his season, including missing Masters 1000 events in Montreal, Cincinnati and Shanghai, even if he still managed to reach the last eight at the US Open.
That means de Minaur will have the chance to make up ground on his rivals, assuming he is fit this time around.
“I’ve done a great job proving that I belong in the top 10, but the difference this year is it feels like every week I’m defending points, and I’ve got that expectation to reach certain rounds at tournaments,” he said.
“I’m almost not allowed, in a sense, to lose to certain players, so it is something new to deal with. But that’s where all the work that I put in, on and off the court, comes in, to give me that confidence to back myself to go deeper in these types of tournaments.”
