'This is class': Tennis world in awe over de Minaur's gesture for shattered opponent
Fokina was a shattered man after letting three championship points slip at 5-3 in the third - the third of which came when de Minaur produced some insane scramble to survive. The Spaniard has never won a title at ATP level, and has now fallen agonisingly short in two finals.
Fokina was in tears after the final point and buried his face in his towel. De Minaur noticed how distraught his opponent was and immediately went to console him.
The Aussie was seen sitting next to Fikona before wrapping an arm around his opponent and offering some words of encouragement. Tennis fans and commentators were blown away by de Minaur's gesture, which came before he'd celebrated the victory properly.
He also offered some kind words for Fokina in his victory speech, saying: "You're way too good to not have one of these (trophies). It's coming for sure. You deserved it today. I just got lucky. You are a hell of a competitor and player. No one on the tour wants to play you. This is not the end. It's only going up for you."
A classy gesture from Alex de Minaur 👏He consoles Davidovich Fokina after a heartbreaking final. 💔#MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/KYGpyzppib
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) July 28, 2025
One person wrote on social media: "Hard not to feel for Alejandro Davidovich Fokina today and hard not to appreciate how kind this was of Alex De Minaur." Another commented: "I have a newfound respect for Alex De Minaur after he consoled Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. He is a remarkably humble individual."
Alex de Minaur walks over & sits with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to console him after beating him in the Washington final. Heartbreaking match for Foki… he had 3 championship points to win his first title.This is class… one of the moments of the year. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/cX0fyZFlTG
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 28, 2025
Alex de Minaur joins Aussie legends with 10th career title
De Minaur's triumph made him just the fourth Australian to record 10 career titles since the inception of the ATP Tour in 1990. The others are Pat Rafter, Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis.
The Aussie has surged from 13th in the ATP rankings up to World No.8, and looks destined for an all-important top-eight seeding at the US Open. Before the tournament began, de Minaur said he was adamant he was at his 'peak' and big wins had to start coming.
'I've got the experience now. I've got the knowledge, the physicality side of things. Everything is just there for me to go out and perform,' he said. 'I can really have a swing these next three or four years and really show that I'm at my peak and break through some barriers.'
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With no rankings points to defend after Wimbledon because of a hip injury he suffered last year, the Aussie will only climb higher in the rankings before Flushing Meadows. The 26-year-old took a break after the French Open after feeling burnt out, and it appears to be working wonders.
He lost in straight sets to Alexander Zverev in the Washington final in 2018, but is now the champion. The World No.8 has a tour-leading 22 hard-court wins on the season, and his 42 wins at ATP 500 level since the start of the 2023 season is the most by any player on tour.
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