Alex de Minaur Comments on Australian Women's Tennis Amid Recent Criticism

Despite this, notable achievements by Australian women were highlighted last week, as three players made significant progress in their respective WTA tournaments. Kimberly Birrell won her first WTA title by defeating compatriot Maya Joint in the Korea Open final, while Talia Gibson reached the WTA 500 final in Singapore, where Leylah Fernandez emerged as the champion.

After his first-round victory at the China Open against Mariano Navone, which he won 7-6(4), 6-2, De Minaur praised Birrell, Joint, and Gibson for their performances. He emphasized his desire to see more Australian women break into the top 100, stating that increased participation would motivate them to achieve greater success. "It was great to see them doing well. We had three great results with Talia, Maya, and Kim – Kim getting her first title if I’m correct. It’s great to see. The more people we can get in the top 100 playing these tournaments, the better," he said.

Currently, De Minaur is the highest-ranked Australian singles player at world number 10, well ahead of the next highest-ranked Australian ATP player, James Duckworth at 63. Two Australian women, Gibson and Birrell, are in the top 50 of the WTA rankings, both achieving career-high positions after their recent tournament performances.

In the press conference, De Minaur also addressed his goals for the upcoming season, indicating that he intends to focus more on performing well in Grand Slam tournaments. Reflecting on his decade-long career, he acknowledged the need to reach new milestones and highlighted his ambition to impact major tournaments next year. De Minaur had a modest Grand Slam season in 2026, reaching the quarter-finals only at the Australian Open before being eliminated in the second round of the US Open.

De Minaur’s immediate focus is now the China Open, having advanced to face Frenchman Quentin Halys in the second round.