It depends on what the definition of "watery" is.

A Top 10 player, Australia's De Minaur lost 3-6 2-6 1-6 to top seed Sinner in the quarter-finals of this year's Australian Open.

The match lasted only 1 hour and 48 minutes, and it was almost a "one-sided" situation from start to finish, De Minaur was suppressed by Sinner in all technical aspects, and the game was played without waves and suspense. In the three-set match, De Minaur lost one after another, winning three games in the first set, two games in the second set, and only one game in the third set, which revealed his comprehensive rout of technique, strength and psychology.

De Minaur is an Australian player, and his match against Sinner naturally attracted a large number of fans to watch it live. De Minaur is to Australian fans what Zheng Qinwen is to Chinese fans, and you can imagine how high the expectations of the fans are for the local players from the big scenes in Beijing and Wuhan last year.

But De Minaur was completely crushed by Sinner, and as the eighth seed, he looked like a top 100 player. After this battle, it is no wonder that many people have labeled De Minaur as the "top ten most watery in the world".

A veteran commentator took to social media to criticize De Minaur for having completely lost confidence in the face of Sinner, and that he may feel that he could not be compared to his opponent at all, and rebuked him for his performance as "extremely poor".

De Minaur responded that the commentator was simply "unaware" and that he was not qualified to play a match against Sinner and therefore could not understand what it would be like to play against Sinner.

To use an internet buzzword, I think De Minaur's counterattack can be described as "maintaining an embarrassed but polite smile on the surface, and a lot of anger on the inside." Or "grinning on the surface, MMP in the heart" - you say I'm "water", then "you can do it!" ”

Subjective feelings aside, De Minaur is actually a "veritable" top 10 in the world, which is an objective fact that no one can change. You can give any comment you want about his level and performance, but you can't erase the objective fact that he is in the top 10 in the world.

In the 2024 season, De Minaur reached the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam four times in a row, an achievement that few people can match, and he also won the ATP 500 title in Acapulco.

On the ATP official website, De Minaur's return performance is ranked first, his points are earned point by point, and he has worked hard to enter the top 10 in the world step by step.

However, entering the top 10 in the world does not mean that he is on par with players such as Sinner and Alcaraz, nor does it mean that the eighth seed and the top seed must be close in strength, at least they can play some confrontations and twists and turns, and will not show a "one-sided" situation.

Looking back on the whole match, De Minaur was inferior in terms of serve, forehand, backhand, etc., and his vaunted physical and mobile advantages could not be brought into play - Sinner is a strengthened version of De Minaur, this match is a bit like a "dimensionality reduction attack", Sinner only needs to turn to "autopilot" mode, and he can cruise to the finish line at a speed of 120KM/H.

De Minaur's sadness and helplessness is nothing new. Think of the "valets" of the Big Three, and think of the "embarrassing and miserable" records of Berdych, Ferrell, Monfils and others against the Big Three. There have been a lot of good players who have tasted similar feelings before De Minaur. Perhaps, De Minaur is walking on the path of Berdych, Ferrer and others—a path that may be both a tangible professional journey and an intangible mental journey.

Another reason why fans are so disappointed and even harsh with De Minaur may have something to do with De Minaur's personality image.

De Minaur is a hard-working player who looks like a top-10 student in his class with little character or charisma. Compared to Alcaraz, he does not have proud results, nor does he have hormone-rich "sexual tension", nor does he have a cute and relaxed "boy-next-door" smile.

De Minaur appears to be in a mediocre manner compared to another homegrown player, Kyrgios, who is often interpreted as "boring and dull" – and while Kyrgios is controversial, he can at least make the game not boring.

At the end of the day, not all fans are there for the game itself, they may go to the stadium for some "fun" and "surprise", and Kyrgios is just what these fans need.

So, when De Minaur loses badly, fans are more inclined to criticize, rebuke than sympathize.

There are also fans who are more direct than those who are looking for "fun", who do not like deep thinking and analysis, but simply and directly "judge people by their appearance" - in this regard, De Minaur seems to be at a disadvantage.

De Minaur is a player who doesn't smile. For most of the game, he was serious and reserved, focusing on the game from start to finish, playing his tennis game one by one, rarely communicating with the crowd, and even his expressions and mannerisms seemed rather rigid – and stereotype is synonymous with boredom and dullness.

In addition, De Minaur also has a mustache, which some say makes him look a bit like a Nazi maniac. It stands to reason that we can't blame people for their looks, but a person's facial features and demeanor do affect how they are perceived, and many people instinctively judge others by their appearance.

De Minaur is "not water"? It's not just about tennis skills, strength and results, it's about a lot of things outside of tennis.

Different people naturally have different opinions.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Yun Cirrus Yunshu)