Jannik Sinner’s sad confession about quitting tennis as Alex de Minaur blows golden opportunity

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The Aussie has faced yet another cruel blow with a number of big names out of the main draw.

Alex de Minaur has let slip a huge opportunity to improve his world ranking and win a clay court title, after going down to Lorenzo Musetti in Madrid. It came just hours after World No.1 Jannik Sinner made a shock reveal that he contemplated walking away from tennis amid the drama around his positive tests.

De Minaur had a golden opportunity to push deep into the Madrid Open this week with Carlos Alcaraz not entering the tournament and Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev eliminated in the early rounds. But after winning his first two matches in straight sets, de Minaur was bundled out in the same manner to Musetti 6-4 6-2 on Wednesday (local time). The Italian defeated the 26-year-old Aussie in Monte Carlo two weeks ago and prevailed again in the Spanish capital, with de Minaur failing to make a dent on Musetti’s serve.

De Minaur didn’t earn a single break point across the two sets and only won 42 per cent of his second serve. Musetti has proved to have the Aussie’s measure on clay this season and will now surge into the top 10 rankings.

De Minaur will rue his missed opportunity to reach the quarter-finals, with Jack Draper the only player remaining in the draw who is seeded higher. The British star has now surged ahead of de Minaur in the rankings ahead of Roland Garros and has more time to distance himself as a top-10 player. De Minaur also faces the prospect of dropping down if Daniil Medvedev and Musetti reach the semi-finals.

While de Minaur is enjoying a stellar year having won the most singles matches on tour, his struggles against top opposition are being laid bare. The Aussie is still seeking his first title in 2025 and it was pointed out it’s only going to get harder for him with the younger generation getting stronger and stronger.

Regardless, de Minaur might fancy his opportunity at Roland Garros across five sets. One of the Aussie’s best weapons is his speed and endurance, which will serve him well on the clay courts of Paris. His main goal till then is improving on his ranking to avoid the top seeds such as the returning Sinner and Alcaraz in the draw until later in the tournament.

Jannik Sinner opens up about struggles after ban
Meanwhile, reigning Australian Open champion Sinner has revealed the internal struggles he was facing ahead of his tennis suspension for doping. The current World No.1 entered the Australian Open earlier this year unclear if he would face a lengthy suspension because of his doping case from the previous year. Sinner failed a doping test in 2024 and blamed a masseur for contaminating him via a banned cream.

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