Alex de Minaur secured one of the biggest and best wins of his career last week, but was unable to conjure a repeat in the final.
After all, the difference in facing a player like Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz is huge, no matter what the rankings say.
The German has a tendency to be passive at the biggest moments, and will give an opponent a chance to take control of the match if they’re willing to be so bold.
The Spaniard, however, will almost always strike first.
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His incredible, versatile game makes him a player with the highest ceiling in the sport right now, with his floor steadily increasing too.
Alex de Minaur felt the full force of what looked like his best tennis since returning from injury, and he said as much in his post-match press conference.
Alex de Minaur reviews Carlos Alcaraz’s level post injury after their Vienna Open final
Asked if he had noticed a difference in Alcaraz from before and after his five-month injury lay-off, the Australian used this as an opportunity to praise the mindset of his opponent and his willingness to keep improving.
Likening him to Jannik Sinner, his great generational rival, De Minaur admitted: “I think what both Carlos and Jannik are able to do is continuously improve the small holes that, if you could even call them holes, that they had once upon a time. They’re able to improve in those areas, and then it becomes even harder to play against them.”
Then, returning to their match, he added: “Carlos, especially when he has a day like today where he’s, you know, really focused, doesn’t give you any cheap errors in the whole match and is locked in. It makes it very difficult to play against.
“He’s got the ability to play a lot of different game styles, so he’s able to use his legs when he needs to, his power when he needs to, and ultimately, he’s a pretty good player, so the only difference, you know, pre-injury, I would say it’s more of a gradual improvement where he keeps on getting better.
“As for myself, I’ve got to try and look in and do the same.”
De Minaur claimed it was ‘very annoying’ to play against Alcaraz in his on-court speech, before congratulating him on yet another stunning week.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz had massive praise for De Minaur in his championship chat.
