Mental fitness is the key to Alex de Minaur's rise in the ATP rankings

On Sunday, Alex de Minaur won the ATP event at Zhuhai. At 20 years old, he is the second-youngest player in the ATP Top 25 . But to go higher, he wants to keep improving mentally.

That's something he says he works on "as much as I do fitness," which is significant for a player who already has a reputation as one of the fittest guys on tour.

"I've got a psychologist [who] I talk to every day and it's been a big help," he told press at Zhuhai. "And, honestly, tennis is such a tough sport as it is, it's only you on court, so you've got to deal with a lot of different pressures and expectations and when things aren't going well.

"So to have someone like that to be on my team and stronger mentally, I think it's been the biggest change for me. That's the way I've been progressing."

De Minaur topped  Mannarino in the Zhuhai final. (Getty Images)

That toughness as a competitor has been crucial to the three titles he has won this season—Sydney, Atlanta and Zhuhai.

"That's what I got to try and do every time I step on court, I need to make sure that I'm positive and I fight," he said. "And then sometimes I'll have good days, sometimes I'll have bad days, but I'll be able to win a lot of matches, even if they're not my best days."

En route to his victory in Zhuhai, the youngster defeated Andy Murray, Borna Coric, Roberto Bautista Agut and Adrian Mannarino.

“I've got this level. Now it's all about trying to bring this level as often as I can. If I can try to bring this level almost every week, then I'll be going deep in tournaments and beating these top guys and pushing for titles,” he said. “It's all about mentally staying in the moment and not losing concentration and trying to back up every day.”

The title also moves him in front of 28th-ranked Nick Kyrgios as the No.1 Australian in the ATP rankings.