Australian Open: Alex de Minaur upbeat despite heartbreaking loss to Andrey Rublev

Alex de Minaur looked to be charging to a spot in the Australian Open quarter-finals before being blown away in the fifth set. The forlorn Aussie opens up on where things went wrong.

Alex de Minaur went the distance against Andrey Rublev. Picture: Mark Stewart

A deflated Alex de Minaur says he will not let his heartbreaking Australian Open fourth-round defeat to Andrey Rublev overshadow the positive progress he has made in his game over the past 12 months.

De Minaur, 24, cut a forlorn figure when he addressed the media on the stroke of midnight after his five-set fist fight with the No.5 seed, which ended with the Russian overpowering the local hope 6-0 in the decider.

A night that began with such promise instead ended with a whimper, as de Minaur lamented a litany of missed opportunities to close out the match while he held sway.

He won just three of 16 break point opportunities, while Rublev rose to the occasion in the most important moments of the match.

But the world No.10, who will drop to 11 once the rankings update after the tournament, declared his defeat was not the result of succumbing to the weight of expectation.

Alex de Minaur after his five-set loss to Andrey Rublev. Picture: Anthony Wallace/AFP

“Nothing about pressure, nothing about expectation, none of that – just he played too good in the moments,” De Minaur said.

“It’s tough because I thought he was hurting physically in the third and in the fourth (sets).

“He just let go. He started swinging. The balls went in.

“It’s not a match that I thought I lost physically. It was just that the racquet was taken out of my hand. It got to a stage where I just could not get him moving or expose that movement. He was just standing and hitting from every single part of the court at just mach 10.

“That’s probably the most disappointing part of the whole match.”

Twelve months earlier the Aussie No.1 sat in the same position after his promising Australian Open campaign was cut to pieces by Novak Djokovic in straight sets.

De Minaur was left to pick up the pieces after a stark reality check of the gulf between his game and the best in the world.

Over the course of 2023 he retooled his arsenal; juiced up his serve, added some extra shots to his repertoire and rebuilt his bruised ego to the point he once again believed he could match it with the best.

Alex de Minaur had to rebuild his game after being blown away by Novak Djokovic at last year’s Australian Open. Picture: Michael Klein

That hard work was put on full display this summer when he claimed three consecutive top 10 scalps – including Djokovic – at the United Cup, which lifted him into the top 10 for the first time in his career.

“Look, I know it’s a little bit disappointing that I’m sitting here after a loss in the fourth round (but) I do think I’ve made a lot of steps in the right direction,” De Minaur said.

“I think my level is there. Against top 10 opponents this year I’m 3-1. It’s not the worst of things. I was very close today, I’m doing the right things.

“Perspective changes with results, right? All of a sudden expectations and what you believe you should be achieving also changes.

“Maybe in the past I would have been somewhat content with a fourth round, but I thought I had more in me.

“It is a bit disappointing. In due time I’ll take the three top 10 wins at the United Cup, I’ll take it as confidence.

“Even this match, I’m playing great tennis. It’s the start of the year. Importantly, if I can keep this level throughout the whole year, (I am) quite confident that I’ll be able to finish where I want to.”