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Can "disruptor" De Minaur break into a Grand Slam semi?
Nicholas Quinlan • December 30th, 2025 2:31 pm
Brett Phillips thinks that Alex De Minaur is capable of pushing past the quarter finals stage of a Grand Slam as he begins his preparations for the summer of Tennis on home soil.
2025 has been a strong year for the Demon, who has solidified the progress that he made in 2024.
Despite winning only one ATP title during the calendar year, the Australian No. 1 won 56 matches, which was the third most on the tour.
This included securing his first win in the ATP Finals, which saw him make the semi-finals alongside quarter-final appearances in the Australian and US Open.
But the World No. 7 has had some struggles throughout the year against his fellow top 10 opponents and, in particular, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
During the season, he only managed to win two of his 13 matches against the top 10, with Alcaraz and Sinner making up seven of those losses.
And with this in mind, the De Minaur declared that he wants to become more of a “disruptor” when it comes to playing these top players.
“I’ve played some very close matches over the years,” he said to the media on Monday.
"You’ve got to work on your game, find new weapons, for me it’s finding different ways to hurt these players right, so trying to be ready to take more risks and be a little bit more of a disruptor.”
This would be a sentiment shared by Phillips, who noted that while De Minaur isn’t the only player to struggle against the pair.
But he thinks that with some little improvements, he could break through into the final four of a major for the first time in his professional career.
“The field is finding it very hard to beat these two, particularly in the majors,” he told SEN Afternoons.
“But Alex is leaving no stone unturned. He is trying to find the edge.
“We know what he brings. Can he just elevate a little bit more?
“And that is all encompassing, really. It’s the serve, the power off the ground, it’s all the little bits technically.
“But look, he’s a great competitor, and you’re inside the top 10 for a reason.
"He’s got enormous skill out on the court, and we’re hoping that 2026 is a year where he can, even if it doesn’t happen in Melbourne, but he can least get to that semi-final stage of a major, which is not easy.”
He will be featuring alongside fellow Australian Maya Joint in the United Cup to begin his preparation for the Australian Open.
Their campaign will begin on January 3 when the hosts take on Norway at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.
The Australian Open main draw begins on January 18.
