Alex de Minaur strikes dominant pose through rain-delayed Monte Carlo opener

Alex de Minaur may not cut the most intimidating figure across the net, but the Aussie is starting to develop a swagger that comes with being one of the most consistent players on tour, channeling that momentum into an emphatic 6-3, 6-0 win over Stan Wawrinka on a rainy Tuesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

“Now I’ve got a little bit of a presence where opponents feel a little bit more, so if I know if I can stay strong and stay tough, eventually I’m going to play better and not give too many balls or free points away,” The No. 11 seed said after the match. “That’s going to go to my advantage.”

One of only four players to score more than 20 wins through the first four months of the season, De Minaur has already reached two finals in 2024—winning his second career ATP 500 title in Acapulco—and made his Top 10 debut ahead of the Australian Open, where he reached the fourth round, in January.

“You never take wins for granted in this sport,” said De Minaur. “It’s about setting a standard for myself every time I step out on court. If I’m going to lose the match, it’s because my opponent played better than I did, but I’m not going to give anything away, and I’m going to make them work for it from the first point to the last. I bring that mentality week in, week out and it’s been working so far. Hopefully, I can keep it going.”

Down from a career-high of No. 9, De Minaur is showing no signs of slowing his incredible momentum, enjoying professional and personal highs alongside girlfriend and fellow tennis star Katie Boulter. The 25-year-old navigated a two-hour rain delay to dominate Wawrinka in 61 minutes, allowing the former world No. 3 and 2014 champion just four winners while striking 19 of his own.

“Going in, I knew it was going to be different from what I’d been practicing in all week,” a bundled-up De Minaur told Prakash Amritraj at the Tennis Channel Live Desk. “It was going to be heavy, it was going to be slow, which kind of made me more wary of Stan’s game with all the brute force he’s got and the power. But the biggest thing I told myself was to just stay tough, just stay in the moment, to not expect my best tennis to come out straight off the bat, and stay solid.

“I knew I was going to have to play my way into the match, so I’m happy I was able to navigate my way through that and onto the next round.”

Armed with looser strings to hit through the heavy conditions, De Minaur won over half of points played on Wawrinka’s first serve to book a second-round clash with Dutch nemesis Tallon Griekspoor, who leads their head-to-head, 2-0.

“I haven’t played him on clay, so hopefully, that’s the difference,” the Aussie smiled. “Tallon is a very dangerous competitor, very talented. He’s a big hitter and has a lot of firepower. I’ve played him twice on tour and he’s got me both times. I think we both don’t know what to expect from one another on the clay, but it’s going to be a tough battle.”

In the same quarter as top seed Novak Djokovic, De Minaur could face No. 6 seed and defending champion Andrey Rublev in the third round should he get past Greikspoor, who defeated Germany’s Daniel Koepfer in three sets on Sunday.