“I wanted to chase Turin – not let Turin fall into my lap,” Alex de Minaur said after defeating Karen Khachanov at the Paris Masters 1000 to seal his spot in the ATP Finals.
It’s a simple line, but one that defines the mindset behind the most productive year of De Minaur’s career – a season built on consistency, belief and an unwavering desire to improve.
De Minaur leads the ATP Tour in hard-court victories (41) and sits second only to Carlos Alcaraz for total match wins, collecting a career-best 55 for the year.
He also notched his 300th career singles win and played his most tournaments in a season.
On top of that, he added to his silverware with a 10th ATP Tour title in Washington, saving three championship points against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in July.
For the second time in as many years, ‘Demon’ returned to a career-high ranking of world No.6 and became the first Australian to qualify for back-to-back ATP Finals since Lleyton Hewitt two decades ago.
In Paris, he joined Mark Philippoussis as the only Australian to reach three consecutive quarterfinals at the Masters 1000 event, a feat last achieved 25 years ago.
Once known primarily for his speed and defensive prowess, De Minaur said his maturity as a player came from learning to compete on the front foot.
“I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to improve, be where I am right now, if I didn’t change things and if I didn’t adapt to the players on tour,” he said in Paris.
“It meant that I had to become a more aggressive version of myself. That mindset was very important, especially in the big moments. I had to go out there and take it to these guys because the level is way too good to hope that they start missing or use your speed to become too passive.”
The results have followed. After reaching the last eight at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2024, De Minaur carried that form into this year with a quarterfinal showing at the Australian Open and a second deep run at the US Open.
He has also become a regular threat at ATP Masters 1000 level, reaching the semifinals in Monte Carlo, quarterfinals in Toronto and Shanghai, and he finished runner-up to Alcaraz at the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam.
The individual success is rewarding, but representing Australia remains one of De Minaur’s greatest sources of pride. He wears a small ‘109’ tattoo over his heart, marking his place as the 109th player to represent the nation in Davis Cup. This season, he has continued to deliver in team colours, going 2-1 in Davis Cup and 2-0 at the United Cup, as well as sweeping his singles matches for Team World at the Laver Cup in San Francisco, where he formed a strong bond with new team captain Andre Agassi.
> READ MORE: De Minaur seals ATP Finals spot for second straight year
De Minaur takes on world No.16 Alexander Bublik for a place in the Paris Masters semifinals ahead of the ATP Finals, which begins on 9 November. Following the off-season, he will represent Australia in the United Cup alongside new Aussie women’s No.1 Maya Joint before turning his focus to his ultimate dream, an Australian Open title.
For De Minaur, it all comes back to the same principle that has defined his stellar season: chasing results rather than waiting for them to fall into his lap.
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