"I know that he is not going to win 21 Grand Slams like Rafael Nadal but whatever comes we will celebrate" - Alex de Minaur's coach
Alex de Minaur is yet to win a title in 2022. The Australian's best chance came in Barcelona, where he beat Cameron Norrie before falling to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals.
De Minaur, who has represented both Spain and Australia in team competitions, also made it to the fourth round of the 2022 Australian Open. The 23-year-old lost his Round of 32 match against Jannik Sinner at the Madrid Open last week.
Adolfo Gutiérrez, who coaches the Australian, said that his pupil felt comfortable on clay for the first time this year. As part of an interview with Spanish media website Puntodebreak, Gutiérrez revealed that de Minaur used to lack the confidence to indulge in long rallies on clay but now feels he can compete with anyone on the red dirt.
"He lacked the belief that he could play well here. He had the feeling that on clay he couldn't do 20-ball rallies like on hard court, but what happened was that he lost traction a little, until he finally adapted after a lot of work," the coach said.
When asked if frequent losses lead to dejection, Gutierrez responded by saying, "you do start to be a little more realistic." While admitting that the World No. 22 will never be as sussessful as Nadal, Gutierrez insisted that every victory will be celebrated.
"We don't take away any dreams, but you do start to be a little more realistic. There are many players and coaches who can say what they want, but I know that Alex is not going to win 21 Grand Slams like Rafa, everyone knows that," Gutierrez said.
"Whatever comes we will celebrate, but those things are within the reach of only three guys in history," he continued. "Very good people like Juan Carlos Ferrero or Lleyton Hewitt have only one or two Grand Slams. The day Alcaraz wins a Roland Garros, surely someone will come and say: ' Yes, but Rafa has thirteen'. Can't compare."
Alex de Minaur came within a point of beating Carlos Alcaraz in Barcelona
Alex de Minaur squandered two match points in the Barcelona Open semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz, thus missing out on a golden opportunity to reach the ATP 500 final. Gutiérrez revealed what he said to de Minaur post the nerve-racking defeat in the Catalonian city
"The conversation is the same. I especially highlighted the week he had done, how he had played, how comfortable he was on court and the way he competed against Carlos," Gutierrez said.
"Right now Alcaraz is the one who is in the best shape, that's why he is second in the rave, the fact of competing like this against him, showing that he is a good ground player, is good news. Stripping out those five minutes after being swamped, the rest was very colloquial conversation between the team. It didn't affect him as much as it might have a year ago," he concluded.
De Minaur will take on Dusan Lajovic in his opening match at the Italian Open on Monday.
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