US OPEN

August 31, 2022

Alex De Minaur

Press Conference

A. de MINAUR/C. Garin

6-3, 6-0, 4-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Four-set win. Take us through the match.

ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, look, another very solid performance. I'm very happy with my level, but more than my level on court, I'm probably the happiest with how I was mentally. That, for me, was very important coming into the match and how I dealt with the circumstances.

Yeah, happy to get through another match.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You said the other day you wanted a bit of revenge. You got it pretty quickly but you must have had a few sort of anxious moments after losing that third set?

ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, 100%. That's what I'm so proud of, that I was able to bounce back and not let it affect me.

Because, you know, I easily could have started thinking about what happened in Wimby, being two sets to love up and kind of letting that one escape away from me. But I kind of knuckled down, stuck to my weapons and my tactics and what I wanted to do. And, you know, I was able to go on top on the third and play some great tennis to finish it off.

Q. Did you do anything different? Like what did you actually change from over there? Were there lessons you took from that?

ALEX de MINAUR: Look, I think any time you lose a match from two sets to love up and having so many chances and opportunities, I wouldn't say it's something that tactically you've got to change. I think the only thing you've got to look at is mental, the mental part of the things, because, you know, if you're good enough to be two sets to love up and chances to finish it off, then you're good enough to kind of finish it off.

So for me the biggest change was mentally I was prepared for anything. I tried to stay as calm as I could. When things didn't go my way in the third set, I just regrouped and went at it again for the fourth set.

Q. Can you pinpoint what maybe caused going off the boil a little bit, when you look at the same player at Wimbledon and then over here when you were in a commanding position?

ALEX de MINAUR: I think at the end of the third, the level got very scrappy. It started to get quite windy out there, and there was some, probably wouldn't say the cleanest tennis being played by both players. Couple shanks here and there.

It just, all of a sudden, kind of the level of the tennis dropped, and it was a bit of a scrap-fest. I think he handled it better, he played better those points, and I lost my serve a little bit in key moments. I think that's probably what turned things around.

You know, as I said, I was able to kind of really lock in in the third set and go back to what was working for me.

You know, a five-set match is a long match, and you've got to win three sets, and I'm trying to make those three sets you win against me the hardest sets you'll ever win. So that's my mindset at the moment.

Q. You're getting a two-time US Open semifinalist next. That's got to be another step up.

ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, champ in Montreal, as well. He's obviously playing some great tennis. A very tough match. It's going to be a battle.

I'm looking forward to it. You know, third round of US Open playing against a quality opponent who's proven himself here. Look, I'm just hopefully ready for the battle and I'm looking forward to it.

Q. I wanted to ask you about your schedule. Immediately beyond this you're playing in I guess a newly created Davis Cup format or group stage and then playing Laver Cup for the first time. I know you are here at the US Open, but is it nice to have that in the back of your mind to immediately follow? What do those opportunities present for you when you are doing them for the first time?

ALEX de MINAUR: Look, I'm extremely motivated and excited for Davis Cup. You know, it's been a long year, and kind of team environments just, you know, brings a lot of energy into you. So you get to kind of hang around with your teammates, have a great vibe, great chemistry out there.

I'm really, really looking forward to that week. Obviously then I get to back it up with Laver Cup, which is another team event. Yeah, it's going to be, hopefully I can push myself to go deep here, and then have two very good team events back to back.

I'll have a week off, and then I'll get ready for Tokyo, and hopefully I can finish off the year strong.

Q. Today you knew when you were starting your match. The other day you followed a five-setter. What do you do when you're kind of tracking the match before yours and it goes to the third and then goes into the fourth and you're, like, Oh, now it's going to the fifth? How much do you plan for that? How much does that affect your routine in terms of stretching, resting, food as you're getting ready?

ALEX de MINAUR: Well, I think you've got to do everything to prepare as if the match is going to go three sets. So that's the start of it.

Then you also have got to be very versatile and be able to adapt. Because if you've got your mindset set, then it's going to be a quick match and you're going to be on straightaway. Then it doesn't go like that, it can really have a negative impact on you.

So you just try to chill out, easier said than done, but not waste too much energy, and then just keep track of the scoreline. If it looks like it's going to go one way, then you can start warming up and doing your routines and everything and get ready to play.

If, for whatever reason, it ends up going to a fifth, then you just sit back down, wait a little bit, and off you go again.

I mean, there is not much you can do about it.