Alex de Minaur has doubled down on his frustration with facing Carlos Alcaraz after losing to the Spanish star in the Vienna Open final. The Australian, ranked world No. 9, suffered a 6-1 6-4 defeat on Sunday, extending his unwanted 0-7 record against Alcaraz, with two of those losses coming this year and three in finals.
De Minaur had stunned new world No. 1 Alexander Zverev on his way to the championship match in Vienna. After the one-sided loss, he quipped that it was "annoying" to play against Alcaraz, and he reiterated those comments after walking off the court.
De Minaur's assessment of Alcaraz
"I think what both Carlos and Jannik [Sinner] are able to do is continue to improve the small holes – if you could even call them holes – that they had, once upon a time. They're able to improve in those areas, and then it becomes even harder to play against them," the 27-year-old said.
"And Carlos, especially when he has a day like today, where he's really focused, doesn't give you any cheap errors in the whole match and is locked in, it makes it very difficult to play against. He's got the ability to play a lot of different game styles. He is able to use his legs when he needs to, his power when he needs to, and ultimately, he's a pretty good player."
Difficult conditions in Vienna
De Minaur noted the challenge of playing Alcaraz on indoor courts, where he struggled to rush his opponent. "It's a lot harder to rush him in these conditions. He is able to absorb the pace really well and still be able to redirect his shots," the Australian explained.
He reflected on the match's early moments, saying: "I think all in all, you know, at the start, I had game points, break point, game point in the first couple games and they didn't go my way. And then all of a sudden, he freed up a lot and played some, I thought, sensational tennis."
De Minaur also praised Alcaraz's backhand: "I think he hit his backhand line really, really well today, and that made it quite difficult. All in all, I could have been a little bit better, a little bit sharper in certain moments. But I thought he played at a much higher level than he did in Rotterdam."
Next steps at the Paris Masters
De Minaur has now faced Alcaraz on grass, clay, and indoor and outdoor hard courts. He managed to take a set off the world No. 3 during last year's Rotterdam final, another European indoor event, but was no match in Vienna.
Both players are now competing at the Paris Masters, where they received byes directly into the second round as two of the top-eight seeds. De Minaur faces Tomas Martin Etcheverry in his opening match, while Alcaraz is up against Alex Michelsen.
