De Miñaur: "At no moment did I consider retiring, that's not like me"

Fernando Murciego | 5 Sep 2024 | 00.01

Alex de Minaur, eliminated from the US Open 2024. Source: Getty

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His first ticket to the Grand Slam semifinals was at stake, in a tournament where he had always performed well and against a rival he had never defeated. All the ingredients were on the table for Alex De Miñaur, until a formidable Jack Draper emerged to snatch them away. A significant surprise at this US Open 2024, one more, pushing the Briton to the next round and leaving the Oceanian craving for victory. But what exactly happened in this match? How can we explain Draper's straight sets triumph? Listening to Alex's press conference, we can sense the elements that are not apparent just by looking at the result.

Match Assessment

"Today, I didn't have the ideal performance. I expected to feel better, that I was heading in the right direction, but in the end, everything turned out the opposite. I just want to say that I am very proud of myself, of what I have achieved, considering all things, doing everything possible to reach this position. Today, fate decided for things to unfold this way, but nevertheless, I am proud of my efforts."

First Loss to Draper

"Jack is never easy to face, even less so now that he is playing like never before, it's incredible the streak he's on. Being left-handed forces you to move all around the court, and in the end, it takes a toll on the body. The accumulation of circumstances also takes its toll. But yes, he played well, so he deserves the victory. He moved me all over the court and served very well. Then, in the few opportunities that I had, I couldn't capitalize on them."

Not at 100%

"I wish I had felt better, let's put it that way, but it's tough. It was a great opportunity, but I prefer to think about what I was doing 6-7 weeks ago and compare it with where I am now. I try to focus on that instead of dwelling on what just happened, especially having potentially one of the biggest opportunities of my career slip away. I'm going to stick with the positive aspects, the ones that make me proud of myself."

The Briton's Progression

"Jack has continuously improved every time we've played, each year he was better than the previous one. He has the right work ethic, he's a great guy, a great competitor, so he's doing things right. He has the weapons, knows how to use them effectively, he hasn't lost a set in the entire tournament, so he must be doing a lot of things right."

Draper's Prospects Against Sinner or Medvedev

"We have seen that in this tournament, anything is possible. If it weren't so, we probably would have seen all the seeded players reaching their respective rounds, which would have made the tournament quite boring in that sense. After what we've experienced these past two weeks, I think anything is possible. You never know what might happen, so I'm sure he will have a chance. He has great weapons to cause damage to anyone."

Competing with What You Have

"At no point did it cross my mind to give up, that's not me, it's not part of my DNA, I don't like it. Every time I step onto the court, it's to give my best. Perhaps it was a bit naive on my part, but I truly believed I had a chance until the very last game, to turn the match around and win it. At each stage of the match, I gave myself a chance, with attitude, with my mindset, who knows what would have happened if I had seized them. Maybe I would be on the court right now, but retiring is not part of my mindset. If you look at my career, very rarely will you see something like this."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, De Miñaur: "En ningún momento pensé en retirarme, eso no va conmigo”

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