NITTO ATP FINALS

November 13, 2025

Alex De Minaur

Inalpi Arena,Torino

Press Conference

A. de MINAUR/T. Fritz

7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Alex, congrats. A very good win after a very tough loss. Can you tell us how you came in, your mentality for the match.

ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, I mean, sport (smiling)...

Couple days ago was one of the toughest days I've had in my career. I was in a very, very dark spot. I could tell you that I hated the sport. Here we are two days later and I'm feeling great about myself (smiling). It's incredible.

But more than anything, regardless of the result today, I had made peace with myself. That was a big, big moment. I knew the way I wanted to play. I was going to commit to it from the first point to the last. I was okay with the result not going my way. I had made peace with that. I just wanted to play my way.

More than anything, it felt good to play on my terms.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. When did that making peace with yourself actually click in? Was it that night? Next morning? Did you have to be on your own completely? Even when you were in that 'dark place', did you reflect back on what you actually achieved this year? You're second only at the moment now to Alcaraz for match wins, lead the tour with hard court wins. If you could, reflect on that.

ALEX de MINAUR: To be honest, I'm incredibly lucky with the support system that I have, the people I've got around me, every single one in my team, even Katie. They were able to, or they tried to, talk some sense into me and get me out of a very dark place.

Sometimes when you're in that dark place, you make peace. You start to care less, right? Ultimately you can focus on other elements and not the results.

For the first time in a long time, I forgot about the what if's, the results, what happens if I miss this shot, what happens if I lose this match. I just committed to the way I wanted to play from the first point to the last. A couple days ago I didn't. That's what hurt so much.

Today I knew that no matter what, I wanted to be proud of my decision making, my aggressive mindset, and I wanted to go out there and try to win the match.

Q. Fresh off listening to Taylor analyze your performance, he says he see the offensive side of you in that matchup. In the matchups, you've gone ahead of him now, 6-5. Just talk about playing him compared to the other contemporaries in the top 10.

ALEX de MINAUR: Look, it's interesting because I felt like I made a lot of leeway in the top 10 category last year. Then I got injured, right? The second part of the year I played a lot of these top 10 guys. I came here to Turin and I felt like I had gained a lot of momentum in these matchups. I lost it all just because I couldn't really compete against them. It was tough.

To be able to come out today and, again, it's my first top 10 win of the year, it kills me to say it, but I feel like I should have better results than that, right? They just haven't come.

To be able to finally get one win here in Turin, to be able to come against someone who's playing aggressive tennis, who's got an amazing serve. His ball speed is up there with the highest. He had an incredible match against Carlos. Off the ground hitting the ball, he's hitting the ball huge. Dictating today, I matched him. I took it to him. At times I would even say that I was the aggressor out there, right?

It just shows that I've got that in my repertoire. I just got to come out of my shell more and show it, right?

Q. It sounds like more of a relief than joy.

ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah.

Q. I wanted to ask you, what went through your mind at that match point, because I saw your face?

ALEX de MINAUR: Honestly, it is probably more relief than enjoyment because, as I said, it's not only just the match a couple days ago, it feels like there's been a lot of matches this year that just have slipped away from my hands.

It's relief after a long year to get over the line and get something to go my way, right? After that match point, I just started laughing with my team because I was, like, there's something up there that's against me. I've got the evil eye or something. I'm just not allowed to win matches anymore (smiling). Then we go Love-30.

Actually it took some of my best tennis today. I hit an incredible ace. Then fif-30, I served and volleyed. I just had the ultimate aggressive mindset. Even from the toughest moments, which I could have easily gone back into default and tried to play solid and kind of play not to lose, I played to win. That's why I was able to win today. So I'm very proud.

Q. When you sort of first started on the tour, it was the tail end of the big three era. Now we have two players really dominating the slams. Does it feel comparable to that time? For you looking ahead, do you feel confident you can really go and challenge them in the biggest matches next year?

ALEX de MINAUR: I feel like I've gained a lot of momentum recently in these types of matches, right? I've gone from a stage where, hey, you go out there, you compete, but you're not really getting a lot of chances. I do feel like I'm getting my chances, right? Even here against Carlos in the first set, 5-3 up, 5-4, two serves, I'm putting myself in pretty good positions.

Jannik, I played a good match against him in Beijing. In Vienna, he got the better of me, as well. But I do feel like I'm heading in the right direction, right? I'm gaining momentum.

I do think that they feel it, as well. As we've seen, Taylor played an incredible match against Carlos and was very close to stealing that match. We're going to see tonight what happens with Carlos and Lorenzo.

I do think we're going to be knocking on the door, right? They've played at an incredibly high level for an extended period of time. We are just going to keep on getting better and wait for our opportunity.

At least I'm hoping they're not going to show up every single day of the year, right (smiling)? Yeah, that's probably the thought process going.

Q. Will you watch the match tonight?

ALEX de MINAUR: I don't know. Going in I had no idea. I got told again on the court the situation. I still don't believe it. Till this point, I don't believe that I've got a genuine chance to get through.

As I said, I made peace with myself. I'm proud of my efforts today. Whatever happens tonight will happen. I would love nothing more than, genuinely, nothing more than to be able to switch off completely and not think about it for one second.

Now, can I do that? I don't know (smiling). I will have to wait and see. I don't know if we're going to be doing room service in the hotel room, all watching it together, just living and dying every single point, or whether we're going to try to go out to dinner, forget about it, just enjoy a good day at the office. I can't tell you right now.

Q. If it happens you do get in, what is something like that going to mean to you?

ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, it would be a pretty good feeling. It's all theoretical and hypothetical right now. I don't want to think too much into it until it actually does happen or it doesn't.

Again, it would be nice to have another opportunity and play some more tennis here in Turin. As I said, I love Italy. I love playing here. I just haven't been able to get a win until today. Now that I've got 'em started, hopefully I can keep the momentum going (smiling).

Q. This morning there was a meeting with Andrea Gaudenzi. He was talking about the length of the Masters 1000s. Some of the top players don't like that they go on for 12 days because you don't have a rest, even if you have a rest between one match and another. I don't know exactly your position. I wonder if you would accept the idea that I allowed myself to suggest to Gaudenzi, saying what if the top eight players would have two byes instead of one when they want to get to a tournament a little later. They wouldn't get the points, wouldn't get the money to start to play from the third round, but they could have that option or just play 12 days like everybody else. Of course, you would need to change a little bit the draws in order to prepare that situation when there is not back-to-back Masters 1000s, because in that case you still have to stay there.

ALEX de MINAUR: Well, what I think with that particular idea is I don't think it's fair for someone ranked 9 in the world to not get still in the same position, where they've got to play the same 12-day events, they've got two tournaments in a month. Probably doesn't really fix the situation.

I do think it's something that needs to change, as we've heard many players talk about. It is a long time playing, being engaged in a tournament, right?

What a lot of people don't understand is, yes, you might have a day off in between, but it's not a full day off. You're practicing, you're going to the courts, warming up, doing gym, this, that, the other.

For us players, we have at the start of the year Indian Wells, Miami. That was the first one to be the 12 days. You spend a month to play two tournaments. The toughest thing as a player is you're seeded and you make fourth round. You play fourth round in Indian Wells, fourth round in Miami. You could potentially play six matches in a month, which is not enough.

You're spending the whole month away from home, practicing, in a hotel, living out of a suitcase, not really enjoying your time off, and you're only playing six matches, right?

I think you ask any of the players out there, they will all rather the one-week events because you go out there, you play, once you're done, you're done. Yeah, it allows for us players to switch off.

I think we've seen this year the amount of injuries. It's been the highest it's ever been on tour, right? Those are not great numbers for our sport. We need to be looking after the players and their bodies.

Obviously what's happening at the moment is not really helping that.