Alex de Minaur becomes only seventh player to defeat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the same season on hard and clay

Australian tennis star Alex De Minaur achieved a spectacular feat after his victory over Rafael Nadal at the 2024 Barcelona Open. The Sydney native joined an elite group of men to beat the Spaniard on clay and Serbian foe Novak Djokovic on hard court in the same season.

The 25-year old put on a masterful performance in his 7-5 6-1 victory over the former World No.1 in Barcelona. Although the Spaniard was returning from a lengthy hiatus due to injury, Nadal still showed signs of his past self. However, it was to no avail as De Minaur employed a mixture of consistent baseline play and drop shots to oust the 12-time champion.

With his win over Nadal in the books, De Minaur has now accumulated wins over Nadal on clay and World No.1 Novak Djokovic on hardcourt (2024 United Cup) in the same season. This puts him in elite company, as only six other men have accomplished the feat of beating both men on their favorite surfaces in the same season. Below is the list of athletes to have performed this superhuman act.

Roger Federer (2007, 2009)
Andy Murray (2015, 2016)
Robin Soderling (2009)
Dominic Thiem (2019)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (2019)
Alexander Zverev (2021)
Alex de Minaur (2024)