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Coach Gutierrez on De Minaur’s most improved asset: his mind

  • Posted: Sep 02, 2024

Alex de Minaur is enjoying another fruitful season. The Australian, No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings, peaked at No. 6 a few months ago and has claimed two titles in 2024 (Acapulco and ’s-Hertogenbosch).

De Minaur also reached the last eight at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. On Monday, De Minaur will take on his countryman Jordan Thompson at the US Open for a place in yet another major quarter-final. What is clear is that, despite his 25 years, the Australian is still getting better. His recent improvements have earned him a place among the best players in the world.

“Honestly, there’s no secret to progress other than following our most basic ideas and principles,” Adolfo Gutierrez, De Minaur’s coach, told ATPTour.com in New York. “My father taught me that it is daily hard work, never giving up, and believing in what we’re doing.

“The goals we have today are still to improve everything: to be a better player, a better person and not to settle for anything. As well as trusting oneself in the big moments, and training to be ready, above all for the Grand Slams, which were on our to-do list.”

Of course, the 2024 version of De Minaur was not built in a couple of days. Gutierrez, who has been with the Australian since his junior days, knows exactly what the process was to improve a player who already had formidable foundations. Now, through pure hard work, De Minaur has found his place among the elite.

“Since we started together, we’ve tried to maintain a clear focus, which has been to base ourselves on improving physically, maintaining his speed and above all his strength,” explained Gutierrez. “In recent years the work has been more about playing much more aggressively in an attempt to dominate as much as possible.”

And what of De Minaur’s mental development?

“I strongly believe that his biggest improvement has been mental,” acknowledged Gutierrez. “Without confidence, without believing in oneself, in what we want to achieve, it would’ve been impossible. We’ve been working on many things mentally and we’re seeing the results of that. It motivates us to believe more in it. As a consequence, it helps me further develop and improve his tennis.”

De Minaur nonetheless has some unfinished business in 2024: he had to withdraw from Wimbledon before taking to court for his last-eight clash against Novak Djokovic as the result of a hip cartilage injury. If he defeats Thompson on Monday in New York, he will get another bite at a Grand Slam quarter-final.

“We weren’t able to play the quarters at Wimbledon because of the injury, and we were playing very well,” lamented Gutierrez. “After that, the recovery wasn’t easy, but luckily we’re back and feeling better every day.

“When you reach the quarters of a Grand Slam you’re always playing with the best players at that time, and it gets very tough. You have to stay in the moment and hope that the nerves and tension affect your opponent more, and that things go well in terms of that little bit of luck you always need.”

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In that context, De Minaur has some ambitious goals in mind, for this season and, of course, for the rest of his career.

“Honestly, we never set limits for ourselves and it’s not because we’re arrogant or pretentious,” said Gutierrez, whose charge is currently eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. “I think that would be a mistake on our part. Whatever has to happen will happen, but we’ll work to be as high as possible and to stay there, which is the most difficult part.

“Short term, the goal is to be in Turin [at the Nitto ATP Finals]. It would be a dream after the injury and missing some important tournaments. We’ll keep trying, or at least to be able to finish our first year among the best, which was the goal at the start of the year.”

Editor’s note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

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Tiafoe ousts Djokovic-conqueror Popyrin to reach US Open QFs

  • Posted: Sep 02, 2024

Frances Tiafoe rising to the occasion at the US Open has become an annual tradition. The final major of the 2024 season has proven no different.

The 20th seed advanced to the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows for a third consecutive year on Sunday evening when he defeated 28th seed Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3 in three hours and two minutes. The home favourite will play ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov in the last eight.

“I always dreamt about playing on this court [since I was] a kid. I used to hit against the wall and wanted to compete on this court,” Tiafoe said in his on-court interview. “Seeing the Williams sisters win titles here, seeing Roger win here a million times, I was like ‘I just want to play on this court’. It’s so iconic, obviously named after Arthur Ashe, so I wanted to be a part of that. I think it brings out the best of me.” 

Tiafoe arrived in Cincinnati with a 19-18 tour-level record this season. Since then he has won nine of 10 matches, including a run to his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Ohio and now his fourth major quarter-final.

The match was a lot closer than the scoreline indicates. Popyrin, who stunned 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the third round, led the second set 5-2 and earned three set points on serve at 5-3, 40/0 before his second serve let him down in the ensuing tie-break. He hit eight double faults in the match.

“He was serving 5-3, 40/0. I was like, ‘Well I’m pretty sweaty, I’m sweating through my shoes. I’m about to go and change and try to win this thing in four’,” Tiafoe said. “I won a point, won another point. I was like, ‘Ooh’. He gave me one. I was like, ‘Don’t let me get two’. And then I was like, ‘Don’t let me get three’. And then I was like, ‘I might as well break now’. I got pretty lucky there, honestly.”

The Australian, who claimed his maiden Masters 1000 title in Montreal, battled back in the third set to keep the match alive. But Tiafoe played clean tennis throughout — making just 17 unforced errors — to shrink his opponent’s margin for error.

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Tiafoe loves the spotlight and he once again used the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd to help push past a challenging opponent, whom he had never previously faced in a match. Early in the second-set tie-break, the 2022 semi-finalist hit a forehand passing shot and immediately pointed to the fans like a showman.

Popyrin, who was competing in the fourth round of a major for the first time, double-faulted to lose serve in the fourth set. He had a tremendous look at a forehand passing shot inside the court to get back on serve when Tiafoe served for the match, but missed into the net.

Tiafoe’s next opponent, Dimitov, eliminated sixth seed Andrey Rublev earlier in the day. The Bulgarian leads Tiafoe 3-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, but they have played just once since 2019.

“Obviously he’s so talented. He’s been one of the most talented players for a very, very long time,” Tiafoe said. “He’s playing great in the later stages of his career and he’s starting to find great form again. So it’s going to be really, really tough. He can hit all the shots. I’m going to make him fight for it and earn it and I’m sure he is, too. I hope you guys are with me there as well.”

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Zverev joins Sinner at Nitto ATP Finals

  • Posted: Sep 02, 2024

Alexander Zverev qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the seventh time on Sunday when he advanced to the US Open quarter-finals with a victory against Brandon Nakashima. The season finale will take place at Inalpi Arena from 10-17 November.

The German has earned his place at the prestigious year-end championships in seven of the past eight seasons. He is a two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion, having lifted the trophy in 2018 and 2021.

Only two active singles players have won the tournament more than once: record seven-time champion Novak Djokovic and Zverev, who in 2018 defeated Roger Federer in the semi-finals and Djokovic in the final to earn the crown. Only 10 players have triumphed at the event more than once in the event’s history (since 1970).

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Zverev leads the ATP Tour in wins during the 2024 season with 56 according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The 27-year-old has enjoyed a consistent season, including his sixth ATP Masters 1000 triumph in Rome. He also made his second major final at Roland Garros and another championship match on home soil in Hamburg.

Zverev owns a 14-9 record at the Nitto ATP Finals and in addition to his titles in 2018 and 2021, he also advanced to the semi-finals in 2019.

The German is the second singles player to qualify for this year’s Nitto ATP Finals, joining Jannik Sinner. Marcelo Arevalo/Mate Pavic and Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos have qualified in doubles.

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Zverev survives ankle scare at US Open, captures 450th win

  • Posted: Sep 02, 2024

Alexander Zverev moved closer to capturing his first major title at the US Open on Sunday when he ended American Brandon Nakashima’s run to reach the quarter-finals in New York for the fourth time.

The German dictated after a slow start on Louis Armstrong Stadium to earn a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win. With his two-hour, 38-minute triumph, Zverev notched his 450th win.

“I was extremely defensive at the beginning of the match and Brandon used it very well and played an awesome set,” Zverev said. “I knew that I had to step up my game and take the ball on the rise more and I did well today and I am happy to be back in the quarter-finals.”

Zverev looked on course for a comfortable win in the fourth set when he almost turned his right ankle when chasing a ball down on the forehand wing at 3-1. Despite showing a look of anguish on his face after the point, Zverev showed little sign of discomfort following the brief scare, winning three of the next four games to advance. The 27-year-old injured his right ankle during his semi-final match against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2022 and missed the rest of the season.

Fit and firing again, the fourth seed is chasing his maiden Grand Slam trophy. Zverev, currently No. 2 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, lost in a deciding-set tie-break to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final and fell in the Roland Garros championship match to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets earlier this year.

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After Nakashima held his own in the first set, Zverev timed the ball cleanly in sets two, three and four to generate easy power. The 22-time tour-level titlist won 89 per cent (51/57) of his first-serve points against Nakashima, who was aiming to reach his first major quarter-final.

Zverev’s reward for improving to 3-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion is a meeting against American Taylor Fritz.

“I am expecting a tough battle,” said Zverev on facing Fritz, who beat the German at Wimbledon. “Every time I play Taylor it is a tough battle and I am expecting nothing less and hopefully it will be entertaining.”

Zverev is seeking his second title of the season, having clinched his sixth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Rome. The fourth seed has earned a Tour-leading 56 wins in 2024 and is second in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin.

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