Unfortunately for Alex de Minaur fans, he exited Roland Garros at the quarter-final stage after defeat to Alexander Zverev.
But the straight-set defeat does not tell the whole story.
What was impressive was that de Minaur hung in there with the German, only losing eight fewer points than his opponent across the whole match.
Zverev is someone everyone wants to avoid on a clay surface and for de Minaur to give him a close game is something that should be acknowledged.
The Aussie has never been successful at a tournament on clay, picking up all his previous eight ATP Tour wins on hard court or grass.
To reach the quarter-final stage at the French Open and lose to someone with a strong chance of making the final shows the Sydneysider can mix it with the elite players in the sport.
This is the second time the Demon has reached the this round at a ‘major’ and he will be hoping to build on this ahead of the remaining Grand Slams this year.
Due to the competition around him, especially with younger players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, it is always going to be difficult for de Minaur, who is in the bracket below the very best, to pick up the biggest trophies possible.
Notwithstanding that, he is a player good enough to get to the latter stages of tournaments and cause upsets or take advantage of the absence of big players.
While de Minaur is still a long way from reaching the zenith of the sport and winning Slams, he has shown the consistency and good attitude that compatriot Nick Kyrgiois often lacked.
At 25, there are many years in tennis ahead of him and if he can stay consistently around the top 10, there is a chance he could advance to the latter stages and potentially compete for a major title in the future.
Due to Kyrgios seeming to be past his best, de Minaur looks the more likely of the pair to become the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt to go the extra mile and win one of the top trophies in the sport.
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