EXCLUSIVE: Wally Masur Unveils How Alex de Minaur’s Unique Background Shapes His Clay Court Play as a ‘Paradox’

Alex de Minaur has demonstrated his ability to compete with the elite of world tennis across various surfaces, making it to the quarter-finals at last year’s Roland-Garros.

This achievement launched an impressive run of form, leading him to the quarter-finals of each of the last four Grand Slam tournaments and securing a career-high singles ranking of No. 6.

However, as the 2025 tournament approaches, Australian tennis legend Wally Masur has noted that de Minaur faces an internal “paradox” that he must navigate to replicate last year’s success.

Originally hailing from Sydney, de Minaur and his family relocated to Spain when he was just five years old, where he honed his skills on clay courts.

Returning to Australia at the age of 13, he then dedicated several years to fine-tuning his game on hard surfaces.

“He’s a bit of a paradox, really,” Masur observed on Stan Sport’s Grand Slam Daily.

“While he grew up on clay and is quite comfortable on the surface, knowing how to build points, he also plays quite a linear game.”

“He doesn’t utilise the heavy topspin that you’d expect from a natural clay-courter. His formative years were largely spent on hard courts in Australia between the ages of 12 and 18, creating a unique playing style.”

Masur elaborated that this results in de Minaur’s “old-school linear” approach, focusing on moving forward on the court.

“The challenge for him on clay comes when he faces bigger players who hit with significant topspin. They can get the ball up above shoulder height, and while he wants to attack it, it becomes increasingly difficult.”

Seeded No. 9, de Minaur is set to begin his 2025 campaign against Serbian Laslo Djere on Tuesday night. Should he progress, he is likely to face world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.

Jack Draper is the only higher-seeded player in de Minaur’s section of the draw, with a potential quarter-final match-up between the two.

Masur stresses that this should be the 26-year-old’s target.

“That’s his goal. He rarely loses to lower-ranked opponents,” he pointed out.

“He’s a well-rounded player and consistently puts in the effort, but his height can sometimes be a disadvantage.”

“Against taller players who possess more power, this has been a challenge for him on the big stage, and it might prove no different this week.”