Alex de Minaur has developed a tougher mindset that he believes is critical in order to to break bad habits that have led to a string of early French Open exits.
Australia’s top-ranked star begins his Open campaign against Belarusian Ilya Ivashka on Monday or Tuesday knowing he has failed to produce his best tennis in Paris.
The 24-year-old, who leads a seven-strong Australian men's contingent at Roland Garros, has won only two matches in six previous Paris trips.
A partisan Paris crowd was against the world No.19 at Roland Garros last year when he fell in the first round in a deciding tiebreaker against Frenchman Hugo Gaston.
“It's been a tournament where I haven't had my best results. I've had a couple of heartbreakers here and a couple of tough draws as well,” de Minaur told AAP.
“The last couple of years we’ve played here, it's been quite cold and rainy and slower conditions. That hasn't helped me fully. But you just never know.
“The goal this year is breaking that bad routine of results, because I do feel like I can do some damage and play well.”
The 18th seed reached the Australian Open fourth round before being thrashed by eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the opening grand slam tournament this year.
Australia’s Davis Cup spearhead claimed his seventh ATP Tour title in Acapulco in February and recently reached the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open in his best run on clay this year.
De Minaur said he was adjusting to the challenges posed by the slow, shifting surface.
He defeated the 86th-ranked Ivashka in three sets in their only meeting in a semi-final in Atlanta last year and believes he can beat the best on clay.
“I think I've always had the tools to do well on clay, but just the mindset was not there,” de Minaur said.
“Maybe I had the preconceived idea that clay wasn't my favourite surface, so that affected my judgement on shots and, at times, I was a little bit more frustrated than I should be.
“But I finally got in the right mindset of knowing it is probably not going to be pretty. You are going to get bad bounces. It is going to be tough.
“I know that I can beat anyone on the surface and make it tough for anyone.”
Nick Kyrgios is absent through injury but de Minaur, a US Open quarter-finalist in 2020, believes the Australian contingent is capable of strong results at Roland Garros.
De Minaur’s fellow Sydneysiders Max Purcell, who is making his French Open debut, and Chris O’Connell enter the tournament with career-high rankings.
Jason Kubler, Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson and wildcard recipient Thanasi Kokkanakis have all posted good results at different stages in 2023.
The 67th-ranked Purcell will play Thompson in an all-Australian affair, Kokkinakis has drawn 20th seed Dan Evans and O’Connell faces Japan's Taro Daniel.
Kubler faces qualifying lucky loser Facundo Diaz Acosta while Popyrin faces Russia's former Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev.
“I am loving seeing every single one of the Aussies doing as well as they can and I think this is just the start. I really do think that,” de Minaur said.
“There's so many players that have the level to be even better than they are right now. I think it's just a question of time. But it's a great starting point and I'm very excited for the future.”
In the women's singles, wildcard Kim Birrell makes her French Open main-draw debut against French hopeful Leolia JeanJean and qualifier Storm Hunter meets Spaniard Nuria Parrizas Diaz.
