Alex de Minaur, the 26-year-old Australian tennis player, encountered a painful defeat against Lorenzo Musetti in a hard-fought match that ended with a score of 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. Unfortunately for De Minaur, things were about to get very ugly. He came within two points of defeating him but faltered in the hot lights of the campaign. The contest, a riveting duel that featured the best of both players’ talents, nevertheless exposed de Minaur’s continuing failures to deliver in decisive situations.
It was a match that played out in spectacular fashion, with de Minaur hitting unprecedented levels in his game according to Musetti himself. Early in the second set, de Minaur just about saved a break. This important point in time might’ve shifted the energy of the whole game. At 5-3, de Minaur found a way to break Musetti, leveling the match and demonstrating his tenacity.
On this occasion, despite all of his hard work, de Minaur was punished for a number of mistakes in that crucial third set. He poignantly described his emotional state following that loss as “pretty dark.” This really drives home the emotional cost of coming so close and failing time after time in nail-biters.
“I keep putting everything into these matches. When the result’s not there, it’s hard to keep pushing through,” – Alex de Minaur
De Minaur lamented his inability to convert crucial moments into victories throughout 2025. He pointed instead to a history of wretched results in third-set scenarios, including his own tumble in such spots at some of the most pressure-packed tournaments. No doubt the Australian knows he must learn to win these tight matches. If he desires to move up the career ladder, he must find a productive path forward to winning them.
Despite his ranking success in recent years, de Minaur has often fallen short against elite opposition. He’s 2-5 vs Taylor Fritz in last four years. He’d previously lost to Fritz at last year’s ATP Finals and then again soon after in the Davis Cup. After taking a two-set lead against Alexander Bublik at the French Open, de Minaur found a way to lose it. In the semi-finals of the Doha tournament, he lost to Andrey Rublev in a thrilling third-set tiebreaker.
“I don’t know how many times I can deal with a loss like this one,” – Alex de Minaur
After this most recent disappointment, de Minaur made it clear that it’s high time to stop letting a repeated pattern of problems happen. He stated, “It’s something that if it doesn’t get sorted, it’s going to eat me alive. I need to get it sorted sooner rather than later.” His commitment to development speaks to his desire to make another leap and find more success at a higher level on the ATP circuit.
So as he looks ahead, de Minaur knows what’s at stake in conquering these hurdles. “I mean, if I really want to be serious about taking the next step in my career, these matches, I can’t lose ‘em. I just can’t,” he remarked.
