Tennis fans and commentators are urging Alex de Minaur not to give up hope after the Aussie star came unstuck at the quarter-final stage of a grand slam once again. The World No.6 enjoyed a brilliant Australian Open campaign to make the last eight, producing dominant wins over 29th seed Frances Tiafoe and 10th seed Alexander Bublik.
But he was no match for World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday night, going down in straight sets 5-7 2-6 1-6. It once again exposed the gaping divide between Alcaraz and World No.2 Sinner and the rest of the field.
Alex de Minaur cut a completely dejected figure after losing to Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open. Image: AAP/Channel 9
De Minaur is now a combined 0-19 in his career against Alcaraz and Sinner – 0-6 against Alcaraz and 0-13 against Sinner. He’s now made seven quarter-finals appearances at grand slams but never made a semi, becoming the third man after Andrey Rublev and Tommy Robredo to achieve that unwanted feat.
The 26-year-old cut a completely dejected figure as he walked off the court on Tuesday night, and was seen looking forlorn while surrounded by his team in the locker room. “It doesn’t feel amazing, I’ll tell you that,” de Minaur said in his post-match press conference as his disappointment was written all over his face.
“You try do the right things, you try keep on improving. But when the results don’t come or the scoreline doesn’t reflect those improvements, then of course you feel quite deflated.”
Alex de Minaur has still never made a grand slam semi-final.
(AAPIMAGE)
Alex de Minaur is now 0-6 against Carlos Alcaraz.
(AFP via Getty Images)Tennis world showers Alex de Minaur with support
But on Channel 9, Aussie legend Todd Woodbridge attempted to put things into perspective. Woodbridge pointed out that being the sixth-best player in the world and making grand slam quarter-finals is something to be very proud of, and the idea of winning a major might not be the be-all-and-end-all.
“He is good enough, and what he does in these moments, I’ve seen it, been in the locker room with him, he beats himself up,” Woodbridge said. “I know Alex quite well, and he really goes deep diving at this time. Sometimes it’s best to reflect a little later.
“There’s too much emotion pent up about expectations, and the one thing I’ll say with Alex is – his expectations are to win one of these, and he hasn’t let that go. There comes a point in a career for most of us where you go, ‘Well, I’m good, it’s my business, I’m gonna keep going, do as well as I can, but maybe that major isn’t in sight’.”
On social media, fans urged de Minaur to be proud of his efforts throughout the tournament. Many pointed out that things might have been very different had he not been derailed by an ill-timed warning for flouting the shot-clock while serving at 5-6, which eventually saw him drop serve and lose the set.