Earlier this year, Alex de Minaur had the opportunity to observe Rafael Nadal closely during their back-to-back clay court tournaments. De Minaur managed to secure one win and faced one defeat on Nadal’s favorite surface, which was a commendable performance considering Nadal was just returning from an injury.
Now, as De Minaur navigates his way through the draw at the US Open, he’s drawing inspiration from Nadal’s philosophy to assert himself against his opponents.
In 2012, Nadal provided insight into his competitive mindset while analyzing Andy Murray’s Australian Open semi-final against Novak Djokovic.
Murray had led Djokovic by two sets to one but experienced a physical and mental lapse in the fourth set, allowing Djokovic to shift the momentum. Although Murray managed to recover in the fifth set, Djokovic held firm and advanced to the final.
Nadal pointed out that Murray’s critical error was losing focus just when he had the upper hand, a mistake that De Minaur is keen to avoid as he channels his inner Nadal at the US Open.
Nadal emphasized the importance of intensity when leading two sets to one in a match. He explained that to win a tournament like this against a player like Djokovic, starting the fourth set without high intensity is a mistake.
Nadal pointed out that you can’t afford to start 3‑0 down with two breaks in five minutes. He noted that losing the match becomes inevitable when you start like that. Nadal advised that when your opponent is in trouble, you shouldn’t make it easier for them.
De Minaur embodies the same relentless approach. Unlike Pete Sampras or Boris Becker, who saved their energy for key moments, De Minaur fights for every point and runs for every lost cause.
His belief that he can outlast opponents physically gives him a mental edge. This was evident in his win over Dan Evans in the third round when Evans’ hip locked up at the start of the third set.
De Minaur stated that he entered the match determined to make Evans play until the very end. He committed to fighting until the last point, knowing Evans had many hours in his legs. De Minaur believed in his ability to win a physical battle. He remained positive throughout the match, regardless of the score. His strategy involved extending rallies and moving Evans around the court, forcing him to go through De Minaur to win. This tenacity was always visible in his performance.
With Carlos Alcaraz out, De Minaur is now the highest-ranked player in his section of the draw. He is favored to beat fellow Australian Jordan Thompson when they face off on Monday (Tuesday AEST). With Briton Jack Draper or Czech Tomas Machac likely to follow, a semi-final spot is within De Minaur’s reach.
This is a scenario he wouldn’t have predicted at the tournament’s start, especially after not playing since Wimbledon. There, he had to withdraw before his quarter-final against Novak Djokovic due to a hip injury. Before facing Evans, De Minaur estimated his fitness at 80-85%; now, he feels closer to 100%.
With three Australian men reaching the last 16 for the first time since 1988, Alexei Popyrin was eliminated by Frances Tiafoe on Sunday in New York. This marks the first all-Australian fourth-round clash at the US Open since Wally Masur faced Jamie Morgan in 1993.
Thompson, who reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the second time. Demonstrated his ability to compete with top-10 players by defeating Hubert Hurkacz earlier in the tournament. Alex de Minaur, who sees Thompson as a big brother figure, won’t take anything for granted against him.
Alex de Minaur expressed that Thompson deserves a lot of respect as a player, not only for reaching the fourth round by beating quality opponents but also for his performance over the past few years. Thompson has achieved career highs and played positive, aggressive tennis against top players, taking many big scalps.
De Minaur is proud of Australian tennis, emphasizing that they are proving themselves in deep tournament runs.
He considers it a good problem facing each other in the fourth round, viewing it as an exciting opportunity. Having grown up together and played many times, De Minaur expects an intense battle.
