Alex de Minaur is set to launch his Washington Open title defence later on Tuesday.
The Australian star is set to play former world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round.
Tsitsipas, now ranked 51st on the Tour, has won 12 of his 13 matches against De Minaur.
It has been a difficult campaign for De Minaur: encapsulated by his comments after losing in the Wimbledon fourth round earlier this month.
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“It breaks me inside,” De Minaur said of his defeat to Flavio Cobolli. “That’s the reality of it.
“Many, many hours get put into my craft, and countless years to kind of have moments like these. To not step up to the plate, it’s truly gut wrenching. It’s very tough.”
Ahead of the Washington Open, De Minaur has provided tennis fans with an update regarding his mental state.
Alex de Minaur provides an update on how he is feeling after marrying Katie Boulter
“The wedding was great,” De Minaur said of his special day alongside the WTA’s 69th-ranked player. “It was everything we could have ever imagined.
“It was amazing to be able to kind of just be with close ones and family and friends and ultimately forget about tennis for a little while. Of course, we had a lot of fun.
“But the way the season works, we’re back to work, right? We’re back to being tennis players.
“That being said, I don’t think much has changed for me being married. I think same old, same old. I’m definitely very excited to kind of get going.”
Earlier this month, De Minaur cut an emotionally raw figure after losing to Flavio Cobolli at Wimbledon.
The 27-year-old stated he was ‘not good enough mentally’ during the loss and revealed his intention to take a break from competitive play.
“Sadly, it just feels like they (the losses) keep on coming. Yeah, it’s not easy to take,” he told reporters in London.
“To fall short constantly, you start doubting yourself. You start doubting whether you’re going to be able to break through and kind of take it to the next step.”
De Minaur is yet to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam, despite qualifying for the quarter-final stage on seven different occasions.
However, he remains one of the most talented individuals on the circuit, and a player who is most certainly capable of reaching the latter stages of major events.
“I think what I’ve kind of let myself do, especially in the last couple of years, is be a lot more open to what I’m thinking,” De Minaur admitted in Washington, referring to his hard-hitting comments at Wimbledon.
“I believe that these are thoughts that go through everyone’s minds, every athlete out there. They have some good moments and bad moments. More than anything, I’ve done a lot of these interviews when I’m still pretty raw and pretty fresh.
Alex de Minaur’s 2026 Grand Slam results
- Australian Open: lost in the quarter-finals to Carlos Alcaraz, 5-7, 2-6, 1-6
- Roland Garros: lost in the third round to Jakub Mensik, 6-0, 2-6, 2-6, 3-6
- Wimbledon: lost in the fourth round to Flavio Cobolli, 5-7, 6-7, 3-6
“Obviously the first kind of thoughts that come into mind are those ones, but I generally feel good. I think it’s been a great little kind of stop in the middle of the season where I’ve been able to kind of take a step back and kind of refresh and get a lot of energy to hopefully finish the year strong.
“I think over the last couple of years I’ve definitely noticed that this part of the year, you know, from the clay, going onto the grass and finishing at Wimbledon, I found it very important for me to take some time off to kind of make sure that I can get back on the horse and finish the year strong.
“And, look, I’m in a good place, right? I think you kind of get into a hole because you start to believe a lot of things, but realistically, where I am right now, I’m at a career high.
“I’ve just gotten married, life is good, and we’re in beautiful D.C., so can’t really complain.”
Will Alex de Minaur finish 2026 ranked inside the top five?
The last man to defend the Washington Open title
De Minaur can become only the fifth man to defend the Washington Open title since the tournament’s inception in 1969.
The last individual to achieve such a feat was Alexander Zverev, who won the title in 2017 and 2018.
Zverev, who recently won his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, beat Kevin Anderson in the 2017 final and Alex de Minaur in the 2018 final.
Zverev has not competed in Washington since winning the 2018 event.
