Carlos Alcaraz is the new Vienna Open champion.
The Spaniard was in imperious form during Sunday’s showpiece event, triumphing 6-1, 6-4 in the Austrian capital.
Alcaraz – who heavily praised De Minaur after the final – won 81 per cent of his first serve points, struck five aces and engineered eight break-point opportunities on his opponent’s serve.
The 23-year-old now has a 15-2 record on the ATP Tour since returning from long-term injury at the end of August.
Following the conclusion of Sunday’s final, Alcaraz and De Minaur vocalised their feelings.
Alex de Minaur admits it is ‘very annoying’ to play Carlos Alcaraz
“Alright. Let me start off with Carlitos. Well done to you, to your team,” De Minaur said during his post-match remarks.
“It’s great to have you back on tour. I know all the fans appreciate it. I will say one thing though.
It is very annoying to play against you. But as I said many times, you’re one of the good ones, one of the great guys on tour, so thank you very much, an amazing week.
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“As for myself, it’s been a great week. I feel very much at home here in Vienna. I play some of my best tennis, I would like to thank, you know, all the people that make it possible.
“For the players is one of the great tournaments to come back to and we always look forward to coming back. So thank you for everything you do, to all kids, to the crowd, to everyone that makes this amazing tournament possible. Really appreciate it.
“And last but not least, to my team, it’s been an interesting year, lots of highs, a couple lows, but I’m proud to be standing up here and still fighting. So, I’m excited for what’s left for this year and you know, hopefully I can continue pushing and have a longer year.”
Alcaraz then took the microphone from the Australian and proceeded to praise his opponent’s play across the week in Vienna.
De Minaur produced some of his best tennis to reach the final, beating Learner Tien, Matteo Berrettini and soon-to-be world number one Alexander Zverev.
“I mean, obviously I’ve got to start with Alex, with an amazing week. You are always pushing forward, making steps always forward, always improving with your team. I’m just happy to see you, you know, every week, doing great things, keep pushing forward,” Alcaraz said.
“So, great week, congrats for an amazing week. A couple of tournaments ahead of us for the rest of the season. Wish you always the best. So, yeah, congrats and keep going.
Carlos Alcaraz’s path to the 2026 Vienna Open title
- R1: defeated Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-6
- R2: defeated Nikolos Basilashvili 6-1, 7-6
- QF: defeated Tommy Paul 6-4, 7-6
- SF: defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 7-6
- F: defeated Alex de Minaur 6-1, 6-4
“My team – it’s been an amazing, an amazing week for us. An amazing, emotional week as well. We had a great time on the court, but especially of the court, which makes me feel great every time I step on the court, feeling relaxed, feeling calm, feeling that I should enjoy more than stress myself, you know, playing, but that’s a really important job you guys are making to me and I really appreciate and grateful.
“This week it wasn’t expected for us to play here and come here, but I would say it was the best decision we could make. So, it’s a special. Thanks to you guys that are pushing me to still playing, to still practice. So thank you so much.
“Well, obviously, the tournament director, you made a great tournament, to be honest. We just didn’t notice with a long time before, but, you know, you made it great for my team and I really appreciate that, and we are really grateful for everything you’ve done for us this week. So thank you.
“It’s been a great, a great tournament. I remember back in 2021, I felt great coming to this tournament, and I was new on the tour, and you guys treat me as a one more player, even this year. So that makes, you know, how good you, you’re doing things So thank you so much.
“And obviously I really wanted to shout out the people here, the people are, you know, incredible. It’s been amazing. You guys were amazing since is the first day.
“For me, I really enjoyed every time that I step on the court, not only on the matches, but, you know, in the practises as well.
“Packed stadiums every match, packed stadium in the practises, you guys made me feel great, as I said, on and off the court as well. I can see how passionate you are for tennis, and I’m really happy to see that, and I just, uh, all I can say is thank you very much for the support, for the love we received here. This trophy is always yours. So thank you so much.”
The two players who have beaten Carlos Alcaraz since his return from injury
Alcaraz’s return to competitive play has been extremely impressive; very few players are able to click into gear so quickly upon returning from injury.
The Spaniard is no ordinary specimen, as proven by his form over the past two months.
Only Ben Shelton and Zizou Bergs have been able to overcome the might of the Spaniard since his return in August.
Shelton stunned Alcaraz in the US Open quarter-finals, triumphing 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
A few weeks later, Bergs produced one of the shocks of the year in defeating Alcaraz in the Shanghai Masters second round.
“I often have too much respect for these guys. That is part of the culture and I am proud of that but it is a little bit in the way when you play them,” Bergs said after winning 7-5, 7-6.
After triumphing in Vienna, Alcaraz will shift his attention to the Paris Masters.
The event, set to take place from November 2 to 8, was last won by Jannik Sinner.
The Italian will not defend his title at this year’s event due to a long-term knee injury.
