Alex de Minaur has endured a difficult month on the ATP Tour.
The Australian star, a winner of 11 ATP Tour titles, recently suffered back-to-back opening-round exits in Madrid and Rome, losing to Rafael Jodar and Matteo Arnaldi, respectively.
De Minaur’s barren three-match losing streak came to an end on Monday with victory over Francisco Cerúndolo in Hamburg.
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The ‘Demon’ roared back from a set down to claim a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the north-German city.
De Minaur has since offered his reaction to the result, expressing his delight at finding a way through such a close-fought contest.
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“I missed that feeling, that is for sure, being able to celebrate after a tough win,” De Minaur [pictured below in Rome] admitted on-court while in conversation with broadcaster Sky Sports.
“It was a great performance today, mentally, staying in the moment.
“There was some very tough moments. The last couple of weeks I probably would have gone away and shied away from the occasion.
“But I am very proud of my efforts and very happy with a very tough win today.”
The Australian later added: “There were a couple of points here and there where I just stuck in. I made the extra ball and [made] it tougher.
Alex de Minaur’s last five results
- Hamburg: defeated Francisco Cerúndolo 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
- Italian Open: lost to Matteo Arnaldi, 6-4, 6-7, 4-6
- Madrid Open: lost to Rafael Jodar, 3-6, 1-6
- Barcelona Open: lost to Hamad Medjedovic, 3-6, 4-6
- Barcelona Open: defeated Sebastian Ofner 7-6, 6-4
“I got a couple of unforced errors when I needed them and I just kind of cut the unnecessary unforced errors. They were still there, there’s no denying that.
“But I am just proud that all the hard work that has gone in over the last couple of weeks has given me a nice little win today.”
De Minaur also discussed the conditions in Hamburg, noting the cooler temperatures compared to other ATP events.
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“It’s quite interesting,” the Australian said. “It’s on the colder side, we had a little bit of rain and a little bit of sun.
“But it’s a tough clay court tournament, right? So this is where you have got to be tough and see what you are made of.”
Alex de Minaur’s next opponent
After beating Cerundolo, De Minaur is set to play Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Hamburg Open round of 16.
Fokina, who is unseeded in the event, defeated Corentin Moutet 6-4, 6-4 on Monday.
De Minaur has a 3-2 winning record against Fokina, last defeating the Spaniard 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 in the 2025 Washington Open final.
De Minaur, who saved three match points, prevented Fokina from winning his first ATP Tour title.
“I came here in 2018 and it gave me so much confidence, so I’m so happy that I was able to come back and end up winning the title,” De Minaur said during the post-match ceremony.
“Alejandro, you’re way too good not to have one of these, it’s coming for sure [a trophy/title].
“You deserved it today, I just got lucky. You are a hell of a competitor, hell of a player. No one on the tour wants to play you. And this is not the end, this is only going on for you.”
