Alex de Minaur headed to Shanghai shrouded in a cloud of injury-related mystery, with confusion about whether he might play at all.
After all, the Aussie was fresh from having retired in an ATP Tour-level final in Beijing, having called time on his match with Novak Djokovic after losing the first set.
It was totally unorthodox, especially from someone as notoriously hard-working and relentless as he is. Something had to have been wrong to warrant such a strong outcome.
The turnaround to his next tournament felt far too quick, but fortune shone on him in this instance, as De Minaurās opening-round opponent actually withdrew before their match, granting him safe passage into the Round of 16, and an extra couple of days of rest.
He has since returned with a win, and provided a fitness update immediately afterwards.
Alex de Minaur reacts after winning his first match at the Shanghai Masters
Speaking whilst still on court to ATP media, he began with a brief assessment of how big this win felt: āYeah, definitely can be really happy. Definitely needed those extra days of recovery. And yeah, Iām just building every day.ā
Then, asked how confident he had felt given his last appearance on court was a retirement, Alex de Minaur continued:Ā āYeah, exactly. Obviously had no idea what it was until I got here, and then it was yeah, sort of do everything I could to come out and compete, and Iām glad I was able to do that today.ā
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He finished with a word on the ATP Finals, which he remains in contention for. The Aussie admitted: āYeah, I mean, Iām trying to just do my thing.Ā
āI mean, obviously itās in the back of the mind, because itās in the back of the mind of everyone out here, so, yeah, Iām just trying to do my thing competing.
āI was really happy with my week in Beijing. I thought Iād really played some great tennis, and I was feeling really good on the court.
āNow Iām here in Shanghai, trying to do my best and see what I can do.ā
He later spoke to the press, and De Minaur was a little more comprehensive when offering a fitness update: āYeah, it was great to get those extra two days. I ultimately ended up having five days in between matches. I put a lot of recovery in, a lot of hours to get myself ready.
āEvery day I felt a little bit better, and today I was able to go out there and compete at a very high standard. Iām sure in a couple of daysā time it will feel even better, so Iām very excited about that.ā
Alex de Minaur faces stern test next at the Shanghai Masters
Whilst this relatively straightforward straight-sets win offered a small glimpse into his current physical status, his next match will be a true test.
After all, he faces Karen Khachanov, an all-action Russian with some powerful weapons that can hurt anybody on the tour.
| Year | Event | Round | Winner |
| 2025 | Paris Masters | Round of 16 | Alex de Minaur |
| 2024 | Vienna Open | Semi-final | Karen Khachanov |
| 2022 | Dubai Open | Round of 32 | Karen Khachanov |
| 2020 | US Open | Round of 32 | Alex de Minaur |
This has historically been quite a well-matched rivalry too, with both players currently sharing two wins apiece.
Interestingly, De Minaur claimed the most recent victory in this head-to-head, easily beating Khachanov around this time last year at the Paris Masters.
