Latest news with #deMinaur
7NEWS
3 days ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Aussie title contender Daria Kasatkina makes emotional admission after French Open win
Daria Kasatkina has overcome the same feeling of burn-out that sank her fellow Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur at the French Open and now feels rejuvenated by reaching the fourth round at her 'spiritual' tennis home at Roland Garros. On the venue's famed Simonne Mathieu 'greenhouse court', Australia's newest tennis recruit Kasatkina was left thrilled how her stagnant game suddenly bloomed in humid conditions on Saturday at her favourite slam with a 6-1 7-5 defeat of former world No.2 Paula Badosa. Kasatkina's victory on the sunken court at Serres d'Auteuil botanical garden, surrounded by its glass hothouses, conjured up the rare but sweet smell of Paris success for her adopted home: for the first time in 37 years, there'll now be an Aussie in both the men's and women's last-16 draws in the same year. In 1988, Nicole Provis, who went on to reach the semis, and Pat Cash both made the second week. Now the onus is on Kasatkina and Alexei Popyrin, who plays his fourth-round match against Tommy Paul on Sunday. On Monday, Kasatkina will face the game's young whizzkid Mirra Andreeva, her 18-year-old French-based Russian friend who was trouncing Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-1 on Court Suzanne Lenglen at the same time. The vlogging pals ended up sharing an ice bath after their early showcourt progress, and Kasatkina, in her first slam under the Australian flag, sounded as if a weight had been lifted from her following a tough spell when her form and motivation slumped. Echoing the lament of de Minaur, who said he was burnt out and mentally fatigued after his shock second-round loss, Kasatkina admitted it felt like a 'super important' win for her. 'It means a lot especially the last couple of weeks were a bit rough for me. I couldn't find myself on court, I felt a little bit flat, like with emotions and stuff,' said the 28-year-old, whose form hasn't been great since she gained permanent Australian residency two months ago. 'I felt little signs of burn-out or something like that. I'm really happy I got back on track here in Roland Garros, one of my favourite tournaments.' Of de Minaur's complaints about the overcrowded schedule, she added: 'I agree with Alex, because our schedule is pretty rough.' 'We have a completely packed schedule,' Kasatkina said. 'It's not normal, but it can happen that the person who is travelling all around the world all the time giving their best, living the life of tennis player, sometimes can feel he's tired, that sometimes you are just not super excited to go on court. 'I mean, this can happen. This is our job but I think everyone can relate that sometimes you don't want to wake up to go to your job. 'Yeah, we are super lucky at having this opportunity to do what we love and get paid for it and travel around the world. It's a nice life, but sometimes when you give everything to something, you feel tired and you need some rest.' But the 17th seed reckoned she felt much better on court, dominating the first set against an out-of-sorts world No.10 Badosa before having to dig deep when the Spaniard, with more firepower but little of Kasatkina's all-court guile and superb defence, dragged her into a 'tense' second-set scrap. This triumph, still greeted by a standing ovation from the largely pro-Badosa crowd, was comfortably Kasatkina's best since her allegiance switch as she powered out to win eight of the first nine games, then nullified Badosa's biggest weapons, frustrating her into many of her 41 'unforced' errors. Kasatkina smiled about how she gets transformed when returning to Roland Garros where she was a semi-finalist in 2022, quarter-finalist in 2018 and the girls' champion in 2014. 'The courts, amazing, super-good quality, the atmosphere. I won here as a junior. When this happens, it just stays forever in you and automatically the place becomes special. 'It's my 10th professional Roland Garros, every time I'm coming here, I feel comfortable. I know every corner of the stadium. I don't know how it works, honestly, on a spiritual level, but somehow this place, it's been always nice to me.'
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Kasatkina delivers 37-year first for Aussies in Paris
Daria Kasatkina has overcome the same feeling of burn-out that sank her fellow Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur at the French Open and now feels rejuvenated by reaching the fourth round at her "spiritual" tennis home at Roland Garros. On the venue's famed Simonne Mathieu 'greenhouse court', Australia's newest tennis recruit Kasatkina was left thrilled how her stagnant game suddenly bloomed in humid conditions on Saturday at her favourite slam with a 6-1 7-5 defeat of former world No.2 Paula Badosa. Kasatkina's victory on the sunken court at Serres d'Auteuil botanical garden, surrounded by its glass hothouses, conjured up the rare but sweet smell of Paris success for her adopted tennis home as, for the first time in 37 years, there'll now be an Aussie in both the men's and women's last-16 draws in the same year. In 1988, Nicole Provis, who went on to reach the semis, and Pat Cash both made the second week. Now the onus is on Kasatkina and Alexei Popyrin, who plays his fourth-round match against Tommy Paul on Sunday. On Monday, Kasatkina will face the game's young whizzkid Mirra Andreeva, her 18-year-old French-based Russian friend who was trouncing Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-1 on Court Suzanne Lenglen at the same time. The vlogging pals ended up sharing an ice bath after their early showcourt progress, and Kasatkina, in her first slam under the Australian flag, sounded as if a weight had been lifted from her following a tough spell when her form and motivation slumped. Echoing the lament of de Minaur, who said he was burnt out and mentally fatigued after his shock second-round loss, Kasatkina admitted it felt like a "super important" win for her. "It means a lot especially the last couple of weeks were a bit rough for me. I couldn't find myself on court, I felt a little bit flat, like with emotions and stuff," said the 28-year-old, whose form hasn't been great since she gained permanent Australian residency two months ago. "I felt little signs of burn-out or something like that. I'm really happy I got back on track here in Roland Garros, one of my favourite tournaments." Of de Minaur's complaints about the overcrowded schedule, she added: "I agree with Alex, because our schedule is pretty rough." "We have a completely packed schedule. It's not normal, but it can happen that the person who is travelling all around the world all the time giving their best, living the life of tennis player, sometimes can feel he's tired, that sometimes you are just not super excited to go on court. "I mean, this can happen. This is our job but I think everyone can relate that sometimes you don't want to wake up to go to your job. "Yeah, we are super lucky at having this opportunity to do what we love and get paid for it and travel around the world. It's a nice life, but sometimes when you give everything to something, you feel tired and you need some rest." But the 17th seed reckoned she felt much better on court, dominating the first set against an out-of-sorts world No.10 Badosa before having to dig deep when the Spaniard, with more firepower but little of Kasatkina's all-court guile and superb defence, dragged her into a "tense" second-set scrap. This triumph, still greeted by a standing ovation from the largely pro-Badosa crowd, was comfortably Kasatkina's best since her allegiance switch as she powered out to win eight of the first nine games, then nullified Badosa's biggest weapons, frustrating her into many of her 41 'unforced' errors. Kasatkina smiled about how she gets transformed when returning to Roland Garros where she was a semi-finalist in 2022, quarter-finalist in 2018 and the girls' champion in 2014. "The courts, amazing, super-good quality, the atmosphere. I won here as a junior. When this happens, it just stays forever in you and automatically the place becomes special. "It's my 10th professional Roland Garros, every time I'm coming here, I feel comfortable. I know every corner of the stadium. I don't know how it works, honestly, on a spiritual level, but somehow this place, it's been always nice to me." Daria Kasatkina has overcome the same feeling of burn-out that sank her fellow Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur at the French Open and now feels rejuvenated by reaching the fourth round at her "spiritual" tennis home at Roland Garros. On the venue's famed Simonne Mathieu 'greenhouse court', Australia's newest tennis recruit Kasatkina was left thrilled how her stagnant game suddenly bloomed in humid conditions on Saturday at her favourite slam with a 6-1 7-5 defeat of former world No.2 Paula Badosa. Kasatkina's victory on the sunken court at Serres d'Auteuil botanical garden, surrounded by its glass hothouses, conjured up the rare but sweet smell of Paris success for her adopted tennis home as, for the first time in 37 years, there'll now be an Aussie in both the men's and women's last-16 draws in the same year. In 1988, Nicole Provis, who went on to reach the semis, and Pat Cash both made the second week. Now the onus is on Kasatkina and Alexei Popyrin, who plays his fourth-round match against Tommy Paul on Sunday. On Monday, Kasatkina will face the game's young whizzkid Mirra Andreeva, her 18-year-old French-based Russian friend who was trouncing Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-1 on Court Suzanne Lenglen at the same time. The vlogging pals ended up sharing an ice bath after their early showcourt progress, and Kasatkina, in her first slam under the Australian flag, sounded as if a weight had been lifted from her following a tough spell when her form and motivation slumped. Echoing the lament of de Minaur, who said he was burnt out and mentally fatigued after his shock second-round loss, Kasatkina admitted it felt like a "super important" win for her. "It means a lot especially the last couple of weeks were a bit rough for me. I couldn't find myself on court, I felt a little bit flat, like with emotions and stuff," said the 28-year-old, whose form hasn't been great since she gained permanent Australian residency two months ago. "I felt little signs of burn-out or something like that. I'm really happy I got back on track here in Roland Garros, one of my favourite tournaments." Of de Minaur's complaints about the overcrowded schedule, she added: "I agree with Alex, because our schedule is pretty rough." "We have a completely packed schedule. It's not normal, but it can happen that the person who is travelling all around the world all the time giving their best, living the life of tennis player, sometimes can feel he's tired, that sometimes you are just not super excited to go on court. "I mean, this can happen. This is our job but I think everyone can relate that sometimes you don't want to wake up to go to your job. "Yeah, we are super lucky at having this opportunity to do what we love and get paid for it and travel around the world. It's a nice life, but sometimes when you give everything to something, you feel tired and you need some rest." But the 17th seed reckoned she felt much better on court, dominating the first set against an out-of-sorts world No.10 Badosa before having to dig deep when the Spaniard, with more firepower but little of Kasatkina's all-court guile and superb defence, dragged her into a "tense" second-set scrap. This triumph, still greeted by a standing ovation from the largely pro-Badosa crowd, was comfortably Kasatkina's best since her allegiance switch as she powered out to win eight of the first nine games, then nullified Badosa's biggest weapons, frustrating her into many of her 41 'unforced' errors. Kasatkina smiled about how she gets transformed when returning to Roland Garros where she was a semi-finalist in 2022, quarter-finalist in 2018 and the girls' champion in 2014. "The courts, amazing, super-good quality, the atmosphere. I won here as a junior. When this happens, it just stays forever in you and automatically the place becomes special. "It's my 10th professional Roland Garros, every time I'm coming here, I feel comfortable. I know every corner of the stadium. I don't know how it works, honestly, on a spiritual level, but somehow this place, it's been always nice to me." Daria Kasatkina has overcome the same feeling of burn-out that sank her fellow Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur at the French Open and now feels rejuvenated by reaching the fourth round at her "spiritual" tennis home at Roland Garros. On the venue's famed Simonne Mathieu 'greenhouse court', Australia's newest tennis recruit Kasatkina was left thrilled how her stagnant game suddenly bloomed in humid conditions on Saturday at her favourite slam with a 6-1 7-5 defeat of former world No.2 Paula Badosa. Kasatkina's victory on the sunken court at Serres d'Auteuil botanical garden, surrounded by its glass hothouses, conjured up the rare but sweet smell of Paris success for her adopted tennis home as, for the first time in 37 years, there'll now be an Aussie in both the men's and women's last-16 draws in the same year. In 1988, Nicole Provis, who went on to reach the semis, and Pat Cash both made the second week. Now the onus is on Kasatkina and Alexei Popyrin, who plays his fourth-round match against Tommy Paul on Sunday. On Monday, Kasatkina will face the game's young whizzkid Mirra Andreeva, her 18-year-old French-based Russian friend who was trouncing Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-1 on Court Suzanne Lenglen at the same time. The vlogging pals ended up sharing an ice bath after their early showcourt progress, and Kasatkina, in her first slam under the Australian flag, sounded as if a weight had been lifted from her following a tough spell when her form and motivation slumped. Echoing the lament of de Minaur, who said he was burnt out and mentally fatigued after his shock second-round loss, Kasatkina admitted it felt like a "super important" win for her. "It means a lot especially the last couple of weeks were a bit rough for me. I couldn't find myself on court, I felt a little bit flat, like with emotions and stuff," said the 28-year-old, whose form hasn't been great since she gained permanent Australian residency two months ago. "I felt little signs of burn-out or something like that. I'm really happy I got back on track here in Roland Garros, one of my favourite tournaments." Of de Minaur's complaints about the overcrowded schedule, she added: "I agree with Alex, because our schedule is pretty rough." "We have a completely packed schedule. It's not normal, but it can happen that the person who is travelling all around the world all the time giving their best, living the life of tennis player, sometimes can feel he's tired, that sometimes you are just not super excited to go on court. "I mean, this can happen. This is our job but I think everyone can relate that sometimes you don't want to wake up to go to your job. "Yeah, we are super lucky at having this opportunity to do what we love and get paid for it and travel around the world. It's a nice life, but sometimes when you give everything to something, you feel tired and you need some rest." But the 17th seed reckoned she felt much better on court, dominating the first set against an out-of-sorts world No.10 Badosa before having to dig deep when the Spaniard, with more firepower but little of Kasatkina's all-court guile and superb defence, dragged her into a "tense" second-set scrap. This triumph, still greeted by a standing ovation from the largely pro-Badosa crowd, was comfortably Kasatkina's best since her allegiance switch as she powered out to win eight of the first nine games, then nullified Badosa's biggest weapons, frustrating her into many of her 41 'unforced' errors. Kasatkina smiled about how she gets transformed when returning to Roland Garros where she was a semi-finalist in 2022, quarter-finalist in 2018 and the girls' champion in 2014. "The courts, amazing, super-good quality, the atmosphere. I won here as a junior. When this happens, it just stays forever in you and automatically the place becomes special. "It's my 10th professional Roland Garros, every time I'm coming here, I feel comfortable. I know every corner of the stadium. I don't know how it works, honestly, on a spiritual level, but somehow this place, it's been always nice to me." Daria Kasatkina has overcome the same feeling of burn-out that sank her fellow Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur at the French Open and now feels rejuvenated by reaching the fourth round at her "spiritual" tennis home at Roland Garros. On the venue's famed Simonne Mathieu 'greenhouse court', Australia's newest tennis recruit Kasatkina was left thrilled how her stagnant game suddenly bloomed in humid conditions on Saturday at her favourite slam with a 6-1 7-5 defeat of former world No.2 Paula Badosa. Kasatkina's victory on the sunken court at Serres d'Auteuil botanical garden, surrounded by its glass hothouses, conjured up the rare but sweet smell of Paris success for her adopted tennis home as, for the first time in 37 years, there'll now be an Aussie in both the men's and women's last-16 draws in the same year. In 1988, Nicole Provis, who went on to reach the semis, and Pat Cash both made the second week. Now the onus is on Kasatkina and Alexei Popyrin, who plays his fourth-round match against Tommy Paul on Sunday. On Monday, Kasatkina will face the game's young whizzkid Mirra Andreeva, her 18-year-old French-based Russian friend who was trouncing Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-1 on Court Suzanne Lenglen at the same time. The vlogging pals ended up sharing an ice bath after their early showcourt progress, and Kasatkina, in her first slam under the Australian flag, sounded as if a weight had been lifted from her following a tough spell when her form and motivation slumped. Echoing the lament of de Minaur, who said he was burnt out and mentally fatigued after his shock second-round loss, Kasatkina admitted it felt like a "super important" win for her. "It means a lot especially the last couple of weeks were a bit rough for me. I couldn't find myself on court, I felt a little bit flat, like with emotions and stuff," said the 28-year-old, whose form hasn't been great since she gained permanent Australian residency two months ago. "I felt little signs of burn-out or something like that. I'm really happy I got back on track here in Roland Garros, one of my favourite tournaments." Of de Minaur's complaints about the overcrowded schedule, she added: "I agree with Alex, because our schedule is pretty rough." "We have a completely packed schedule. It's not normal, but it can happen that the person who is travelling all around the world all the time giving their best, living the life of tennis player, sometimes can feel he's tired, that sometimes you are just not super excited to go on court. "I mean, this can happen. This is our job but I think everyone can relate that sometimes you don't want to wake up to go to your job. "Yeah, we are super lucky at having this opportunity to do what we love and get paid for it and travel around the world. It's a nice life, but sometimes when you give everything to something, you feel tired and you need some rest." But the 17th seed reckoned she felt much better on court, dominating the first set against an out-of-sorts world No.10 Badosa before having to dig deep when the Spaniard, with more firepower but little of Kasatkina's all-court guile and superb defence, dragged her into a "tense" second-set scrap. This triumph, still greeted by a standing ovation from the largely pro-Badosa crowd, was comfortably Kasatkina's best since her allegiance switch as she powered out to win eight of the first nine games, then nullified Badosa's biggest weapons, frustrating her into many of her 41 'unforced' errors. Kasatkina smiled about how she gets transformed when returning to Roland Garros where she was a semi-finalist in 2022, quarter-finalist in 2018 and the girls' champion in 2014. "The courts, amazing, super-good quality, the atmosphere. I won here as a junior. When this happens, it just stays forever in you and automatically the place becomes special. "It's my 10th professional Roland Garros, every time I'm coming here, I feel comfortable. I know every corner of the stadium. I don't know how it works, honestly, on a spiritual level, but somehow this place, it's been always nice to me."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kasatkina delivers 37-year first for Aussies in Paris
Daria Kasatkina has overcome the same feeling of burn-out that sank her fellow Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur at the French Open and now feels rejuvenated by reaching the fourth round at her "spiritual" tennis home at Roland Garros. On the venue's famed Simonne Mathieu 'greenhouse court', Australia's newest tennis recruit Kasatkina was left thrilled how her stagnant game suddenly bloomed in humid conditions on Saturday at her favourite slam with a 6-1 7-5 defeat of former world No.2 Paula Badosa. Kasatkina's victory on the sunken court at Serres d'Auteuil botanical garden, surrounded by its glass hothouses, conjured up the rare but sweet smell of Paris success for her adopted tennis home as, for the first time in 37 years, there'll now be an Aussie in both the men's and women's last-16 draws in the same year. In 1988, Nicole Provis, who went on to reach the semis, and Pat Cash both made the second week. Now the onus is on Kasatkina and Alexei Popyrin, who plays his fourth-round match against Tommy Paul on Sunday. On Monday, Kasatkina will face the game's young whizzkid Mirra Andreeva, her 18-year-old French-based Russian friend who was trouncing Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-1 on Court Suzanne Lenglen at the same time. The vlogging pals ended up sharing an ice bath after their early showcourt progress, and Kasatkina, in her first slam under the Australian flag, sounded as if a weight had been lifted from her following a tough spell when her form and motivation slumped. Echoing the lament of de Minaur, who said he was burnt out and mentally fatigued after his shock second-round loss, Kasatkina admitted it felt like a "super important" win for her. "It means a lot especially the last couple of weeks were a bit rough for me. I couldn't find myself on court, I felt a little bit flat, like with emotions and stuff," said the 28-year-old, whose form hasn't been great since she gained permanent Australian residency two months ago. "I felt little signs of burn-out or something like that. I'm really happy I got back on track here in Roland Garros, one of my favourite tournaments." Of de Minaur's complaints about the overcrowded schedule, she added: "I agree with Alex, because our schedule is pretty rough." "We have a completely packed schedule. It's not normal, but it can happen that the person who is travelling all around the world all the time giving their best, living the life of tennis player, sometimes can feel he's tired, that sometimes you are just not super excited to go on court. "I mean, this can happen. This is our job but I think everyone can relate that sometimes you don't want to wake up to go to your job. "Yeah, we are super lucky at having this opportunity to do what we love and get paid for it and travel around the world. It's a nice life, but sometimes when you give everything to something, you feel tired and you need some rest." But the 17th seed reckoned she felt much better on court, dominating the first set against an out-of-sorts world No.10 Badosa before having to dig deep when the Spaniard, with more firepower but little of Kasatkina's all-court guile and superb defence, dragged her into a "tense" second-set scrap. This triumph, still greeted by a standing ovation from the largely pro-Badosa crowd, was comfortably Kasatkina's best since her allegiance switch as she powered out to win eight of the first nine games, then nullified Badosa's biggest weapons, frustrating her into many of her 41 'unforced' errors. Kasatkina smiled about how she gets transformed when returning to Roland Garros where she was a semi-finalist in 2022, quarter-finalist in 2018 and the girls' champion in 2014. "The courts, amazing, super-good quality, the atmosphere. I won here as a junior. When this happens, it just stays forever in you and automatically the place becomes special. World No.17 returns to the Roland-Garros Last 16 for a box office encounter with Mirra Andreeva 👀#RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2025 "It's my 10th professional Roland Garros, every time I'm coming here, I feel comfortable. I know every corner of the stadium. I don't know how it works, honestly, on a spiritual level, but somehow this place, it's been always nice to me."
Herald Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- Herald Sun
French Open 2025: Alex de Minaur's incredible grand slam streak comes to brutal end, latest news
Downcast after blowing a golden opportunity at the French Open, Alex de Minaur has declared he feels burnt out amid an increase in complaints from players concerned about the gruelling nature of the tour. The No.9 seed was cruising against dangerous Kazakh Alexander Bublik at Roland Garros before losing momentum early in the third set on the way to a 2-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-2 defeat that left him bereft. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. It ensures de Minaur his worst result at a grand slam since Wimbledon 2023 after six straight slams where he had made the fourth round or better, including four quarter-finals. With Adam Walton falling to Andrey Rublev 7-6 (1) 6-1 7-6 (5) later on Thursday, Alexei Popyrin is the sole Australian man left in the draw. He will play Portugal's Nuno Borges in the second match on Crt 14 on Friday for a spot in the last 16. A drained de Minaur said he felt fatigued after letting slip a significant advantage against the powerful but enigmatic Bublik, describing the manner of his loss as out of character. He vowed to review the defeat prior to the grass court season. 'Look, I'm just tired. I'm tired mentally. I'm a little bit burnt out, if anything,' he said. 'In a way, the good thing is that what's happened today is something like a miracle, right, in the sense that I'm not known for these types of performances, or (for) losing a match like this from two sets to love up. I'm probably known for the opposite, which is just being consistent and not really losing matches that I shouldn't be losing. 'Saying all this, (I'll) obviously have to have a hard chat with the team and analyse everything that's been happening (and) kind of find a reason of why this happened today.' De Minaur has played 71 matches over the past 12 months dating back to his run to the Roland Garros quarterfinals last year, which makes him one of the busiest men on the tour. That includes a stint post Wimbledon where he was sidelined with an adductor issue. He has already played 37 matches this year, with this just the second tournament for the season where he has not posted multiple wins. The 26-year-old, whose winning strike rate of .696 is the eighth best over the past 52 weeks, lamented losing control of the match. 'Probably looking back at my grand slam career, I can't think of another match where ... I felt this way and I ended up losing a match that I probably, by all means, shouldn't have,' he said. 'Not to (take) credit away from Bublik, (because) he's extremely dangerous, but saying that, I was also two sets to love up. This is a match that ... I win 99.9% of the times. Today was just the odd occasion that it slipped away.' Bublik, for his part, quipped the reason he started so slowly was because he wasn't used to firing at 11am. Adding insult to injury for de Minaur, he would have faced qualifier Henrique Rocha for a spot in the last 16 after he ousted highly-talented Czech Jakub Mensik. De Minaur suspects part of the reason for his fade out is his workload and added his voice to the concerns raised by players including Jordan Thompson and three-time major finalist Casper Ruud, who opted to take a break after the Australian Open. 'No-one's got a solution. But the solution is simple. You shorten the schedule, right?' he said. 'What's not normal is that for the last three (to) four years I've had two days off after Davis Cup (in late November) and I've gone straight into pre-season, straight into the new season again. 'Sure ... I could have maybe taken a week or a week and a half off. But that means my pre-season is two weeks long and I'm already starting in Australia, which is my home ground (and) where I want to be doing well. Once you start, you don't finish until November 24th, right? So it's just never ending. That's the sheer fact of it. 'The solution is you shorten it, because what's going to happen is players' careers are going to get shorter and shorter, because they're just going to burn out mentally. There's just too much tennis.' Critics would suggest some players do not do themselves favours by playing additional events and de Minaur features regularly in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown exhibitions. This included a lucrative winning effort in London in December, an appearance at a historic colosseum in Nimes in the south of France and another one in Hong Kong in October. The caveat is that the players would be training anyway and it is a way to further their income and branding in a low-stress environment that serves as a glorified practice session. Either way de Minaur, whose place in the top 10 is in peril given the points he has lost, said he should have made the most of his advantage against Bublik. It is only the third time in his career de Minaur has lost from two sets up, along with the third round of the 2018 US Open against Marin Cilic, and the fourth round of Wimbledon 2022 against Cristian Garin. 'Look, there's no excuse, again, for ... what happened today,' he said. 'I need to look at myself in the mirror and find out the reasons, because ultimately this isn't going to change. It doesn't look like it's going to change. I have to adapt and make sure it doesn't happen again.' Walton, meanwhile, battled hard against Rublev but was not able to find the points that mattered most in the two tiebreakers. The Queenslander has done well to fortify his position in the top 100, a challenge he said was far more stressful than he realised after making the breakthrough last year. 'Obviously getting to the top hundred is one thing and then staying there's another thing,' he said. 'I thought I rose to the top 100 pretty quickly. But then I hit a bit of a tough patch. So I really struggled when I got to the 100 to try stay there and it's been a massive grind. 'But then I thought I did good strides in the pre-season and had another great start to this year. I've already bagged as many points as I did last year, so just hopefully now that I know what I'm walking into and playing the events for the second time round, that I can do a little bit better and have a bit of a free swing at the back end of the year. ' I don't take it for granted. I know everyone's trying to get inside 100, so you obviously have everyone trying to keep coming in. So it's not easy to stay there.' Originally published as 'Burnt out' Alex de Minaur's incredible grand slam streak comes to brutal end
7NEWS
5 days ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Alex de Minaur says he is ‘burnt out' after French Open capitulation
Down and out in Paris, crestfallen Alex de Minaur has complained of feeling burnt out and mentally weary following a 'miracle' French Open capitulation, sighing it's time for him to change. The never-say-die 'Demon' has never seemed so downcast as he tried to make sense of how he lost his second-round contest 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to comeback wizard Alexander Bublik from a position on Thursday where '99.9 per cent of the time' he would have won. 'There's no excuse for myself, what happened today. I need to look at myself in the mirror and find out the reason, because ultimately this isn't going to change. I have to adapt and make sure it doesn't happen again,' lamented the world No.9. The first time he's been knocked out this early in his last seven grand slams meant Alexei Popyrin is the only Aussie left in the men's draw after Brisbane's Adam Walton bowed out to No.17 seed Andrey Rublev 7-6 (7-1), 6-1, 7-6 (7-5) later on Thursday. With a doughty late-night 6-4 6-2 win over French wildcard Leolia Jeanjean, 17th seed Daria Kasatkina, in her first grand slam representing Australia, also set up a third-round blockbuster date with Spanish No.10 seed Paula Badosa. De Minaur's defeat came in a wildly entertaining affair, the ultimate 'match of two halves'. The famously eccentric Kazhak Bublik admitted the 11am start had been too early for a sleepyhead like him and was already thinking about getting an early flight home to Monaco until deciding to throw caution to the wind after being outplayed for two sets. But though Bublik stirred to provide some out-of-the-box brilliance, de Minaur could only feel this was one that criminally got away - and he couldn't understand how. 'No illness, no injury. Look, I'm just tired. I'm tired mentally. I'm a little bit burnt out, if anything,' sighed de Minaur. Suggesting he'd lost the match rather than Bublik winning, he added: 'I lost that one. Looking back at my grand slam career, I can't think of another match where I felt this way and ended up losing a match that I win 99.9 per cent of the time. 'In a way, the good thing is that today is something like a miracle, in the sense that I'm not known for these types of performances. I'm probably known for the opposite, which is just being consistent and not losing really matches that I shouldn't be losing.' It was a crushing blow for the 26-year-old Sydneysider, who'd been enjoying his best clay-court season and was ready to build on his breakthrough quarter-final appearance last year. 'Obviously have to have a hard chat with the team and analyse everything that's been happening, kind of find a reason of why this happened.' He also complained about there being 'too much tennis' and the ATP needing a shorter schedule, echoing fellow Aussie Jordan Thompson's complaints earlier in the week. Mainly though, he just sounded like a man in need of a break after 38 matches already this year. Ironically, his misery all unfolded just as the sun came out for the first time these championships — conditions 'Demon' loves — and for two sets he positively shone. Looking to have cracked the puzzle that is Bublik, making light of his crazy drop shots, suicidal monster second serves and one dismally executed underarm delivery, he waltzed two sets up in an hour. There was the odd dazzling shot — one which sent de Minaur sliding into the courtside furniture — but it felt like Einstein's definition of insanity as he played drop shot after drop shot only to get the same result as the fastest man in tennis hunted them down. Then, a switch was flicked at two-sets down. Out went the drop shots, in came the power. 'I was checking the tickets already in my head. I didn't really care, in a way,' shrugged Bublik. De Minaur's composure evaporated as Bublik got the crowd behind him with musketeer shotmaking, like the point that won him the fourth, featuring a tweener followed by a brilliant backhand bullet down the line. No wonder the Kazakh took a deep bow. Bublik raced through the final set, taking his ace count to a dozen and, for his piece de resistance, finished the job, after de Minaur had saved three match points in the final game, with one rapier-like cross-court backhand winner, his 51st of a marvellously entertaining encounter.
