US OPEN

September 3, 2025

Alex De Minaur

Press Conference

F. AUGER-ALIASSIME/A. de Minaur

4-6, 7-6, 7-5, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Tough match. Great tournament. Congratulations. Questions.

Q. (Question about Felix off mic.)

ALEX de MINAUR: I think the tennis he's played this whole US Open has definitely shown that, and he's been at a very high level. You know, he's a player that in the past has shown that he's got this level, so it's nothing new, and it's great to see.

I don't think particular today was -- I think, yeah, all in all, we both probably could have played a little bit better.

Q. It's tough to talk after a loss, but I imagine given all you went through last year with injuries and stuff, that you've got to look back on this with some positivity.

ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, that's what you're supposed to do (smiling). Right now I'm looking at this like a wasted opportunity. It's tough.

There's no other way I'm probably gonna deal with this, but just seeing it straight, and that's what today was. Today was an opportunity to break new ground. I was nowhere near the level I needed to be at.

That's frustrating, because you don't get these chances often.

Q. I guess it's a strange way of putting it, but the chances you had over other majors, getting past that quarterfinal stage, could it have been a case that you wanted it too much?

ALEX de MINAUR: I think the biggest thing for me is just my serve. My serve's been letting me down in big matches. I mean, I put myself in and gave myself every chance to extend this match again and be in the fifth set like I did against Novak at Wimbledon. But I mean, it's pretty tough to win a high-quality match serving the way I did today.

Yeah, it's something that needs to improve, because if not, I'm going to put myself into a lot of trouble frequently against the top players in the later stages of these tournaments.

Q. Felix said a very similar thing to you on the court when he was interviewed, that it wasn't pretty tennis and there was a lot of nerves out there. Why do you think that was the case for both of you? Was it the occasion? Was it the matchup? Was it the conditions?

ALEX de MINAUR: If I'm looking back at this whole US Open campaign, I've got to be honest with myself. I haven't felt at my best in terms of how I have been playing on the court.

I feel like I have done exactly what I needed to do to get the job done, but I haven't really felt comfortable on the court. Today was another match of exactly that.

Then obviously you add the situation, you add moments in the match, and then you've got a little bit of tension, and all of that just drops the level down significantly.

There were some good moments, but they didn't last long. It's a shame, because yeah, I felt like, again, similar to Wimbledon. I get that fourth set, and I'm in a good position, because physically I'm feeling great, I'm ready to go, and I'm kind of hoping that momentum is going to go my way. But, yeah, it's another kind of opportunity that just slips away.

Q. Now that you have identified the serve, is it a case of you look to maybe an external resource, something that could be added into what you've already got around you in that particular area of the game? How do you maybe address it?

ALEX de MINAUR: It's a good question. I mean, the thing is, like, going all the way towards this match, actually the serve is what's been getting me out of trouble at times, right? And I served quite well and got in a lot of free points.

It's just in those big matches, that's the first thing that kind of goes away, right? And it's a shame, because the only thing it does is it just creates a lot more pressure on everything else.

As the match goes on, I'm playing with second serves, I'm on the back foot, I feel like I've got to do a little bit more. Then I start missing groundstrokes, which I probably wouldn't do.

I think it all comes down to that serve. I'm not ever expecting to serve like Felix, in a way, right, and serve 20-odd aces and get so many free points, but at least for me, percentage has got to be a lot, lot higher.

I played way too many points out there with my second serve, and as the match went on, it was just, yeah, basically starting the point on the back foot.

Q. As frustrating as this is, is it anger, disappointment, frustration? And having come so close with the advantages, does that sit with you one of the tougher losses? How do you feel about that?

ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, I mean, it is very tough when you have worked so hard for something and you constantly are putting yourself in positions to, in a way, prove people wrong, right?

But yet again, you kind of fall, and especially this time, it's a tough one to take. I mean, there is no beating around the bush. It's one of those matches that I would love to play again. There are other times that the opponent has a lot to say, and you know, I have played quarterfinals where I played Jannik, and he was just too good, right, and there's not really much I could have done.

But I feel like this one was on my racquet, and it is a shame. I don't know how I'll handle it. I'm definitely, as of right now, seeing red, but yeah, I'll get over it. It's just tennis, right?