‘Lightweight’ Aussie’s reality check
AUSTRALIAN star Alex de Minaur accepts he must beef up after being handed a Grand Slam reality check in Paris.
The 69kg teenage wildcard bombed out of the French Open in the first round with a 6-2 6-4 6-3 loss to British 16th seed and 2018 Australian Open semi-finalist Kyle Edmund.
De Minaur admitted Edmund – four years his senior, 14kg heavier and 8cm taller – had blown him off the court for the second time in a month.
“It’s not a great match-up for me. He manages on clay to really just overpower me and hit me off the court,” the 19year-old said.
“But that’s something I’ve got to improve, got to work on, and just get better for next year’s clay season to hopefully be able to do better.
“It’s gym (work), what I’ve been doing. But it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s work in progress.”
De Minaur has slashed his ranking in half in 2018 to No.105 in the world.