Alex De Minaur latest tennis star to provide serve solution after Alexander Zverev’s controversial practices during US Open
Alex De Minaur secured victory over Rei Sakamoto in the Shanghai Masters, to progress to the Round of 32.
The Australian is aiming to win his first major piece of silverware in 2026 and will now face Karen Khachanov to earn a place in the quarter-finals; however, after his victory, he seemed more interested in talking about fixing problems with his serve.
While this seemed to occupy his attention, he will receive backing from his next opponent for changes to his perceived issues with the serve, particularly after Khachanov’s experience against Alexander Zverev in the US Open.
Alex De Minaur’s proposed change to the serve
Serves have become a major talking point in the sport of tennis during the US Open, particularly around the actions of Zverev.
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The reigning US and French Open champion’s serve was the focus of many for the excessive amount of time he spends bouncing the ball before serving.
Currently, the rules state that players are allowed to take 25 seconds between points, but there is no specific limit between their first and second serves.
On the Served podcast, former Grand Slam champion Andy Roddick called for a change to the rules to prevent Zverev from taking so much time between his first and second serves.
Now, De Minaur has also provided a suggestion on how to solve issues regarding the serve.
While the Australian agrees to introduce a delay between the first and second serves, he would also like to count a bad toss as a fault.
He said: “Between first and second? Yeah, that's fine. I think, ultimately, you would get away from people trying to take a little bit more time in between first serve and second. I've said this for a long time now, I think one of the things I would say personally is I would have only one ball toss. So, once you throw the ball, you've got to serve, no matter what. If you decide not to, it's a fault.”
"So kind of, that's another way that people sometimes get away with, once they're about to serve, and they have a bad ball toss, they get to restart their routine again. So, I would say that's another personal opinion that I think would be a good addition.”
The 27-year-old suggested that it is a trick that some players exploit at times, and he would like to change the rules to combat time-wasting and streamline the game.
De Minaur is just the latest tennis star to suggest a change to how a game is started by the serve, demonstrating how much of a major issue it is at the moment in the sport.
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Coco Gauff’s former coach agrees with Alex de Minaur
American tennis star Coco Gauff’s former coach agrees with De Minaur’s opinion on the issues surrounding the serve.
Brad Gilbert took to X to react to the Australian star’s comments, as he said: “He's 1000% right, I've been saying for 40 years, that it's ridiculous you can get as many redos on ball toss as you want.
“Should have happened years ago; worst rule in tennis."
However, ironically Gauff leads the entire WTA Tour for double faults this season, having also led the way in both 2024 and 2025.
Topics: Tennis
Brendan McGilligan