'I just have to come out of my shell': De Minaur on cusp of ATP Finals semi berth

(Getty/Clive Brunskill)

What a difference 36 hours can make in the tennis world.

A shattered Alex de Minaur strolled into the press conference room after failing to serve out his match against Lorenzo Musetti at Torino's ATP Finals on Wednesday morning AEDT. He was almost speechless. It was a player who was evidently tired of falling short when it mattered most.

"I think it's probably a good thing I don't express my feelings right now because they're quite dark," he told reporters. "To be honest, it just feels like it's been that type of year where I've had what feels like a whole lot of matches that should have gone my way and just somehow don't."

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Having already lost to top seed Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets on Day 1, the equation for his match against Taylor Fritz was simple: win or go home.

An early 3-1 lead in the opening set for de Minaur was quickly evaporated, and in the eighth game, an unfavourable net cord gave Fritz the first point on the Aussie's serve, which could've been another telling sign that 2025 is just "that type of year".

But even when the Demon dropped the first two points on his serve to close out the contest, de Minaur's grit and perseverance ultimately prevailed to record his maiden ATP Finals win (7-6(3), 6-3).

"I mean, sport," de Minaur said with a smile.

"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. 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."

When asked about that "dark spot" after his crushing loss to Musetti, the Aussie shared that he is "incredibly lucky to have the support system that I have", giving a special mention to his fiancée, Katie Boulter.

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De Minaur's triumph over Fritz marked his first top 10 win of the season, but is well aware that he should be performing better in the big matches.

"It's interesting because I felt like I made a lot of leeway in the top 10 category last year. Then I got injured," he said. "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. 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."

Now, the 26-year-old must hope that Alcaraz, who requires one more victory to be crowned the year-end world No.1, defeats local hope Lorenzo Musetti if he is to advance to the semi-finals.

If that particular result eventuates, de Minaur will likely face four-time major champion Jannik Sinner, as he would seek his first win over the Italian in after 12 straight defeats.

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