DEMON HAS FIRE DOUSED
AUSSIE Alex de Minaur’s isn’t satisfied with his best Grand Slam performance and has vowed to “keep on pushing” in the wake of his quarter-final defeat at the US Open.
The 21-year-old was blown off the court by bigger, stronger and more experienced second seed Dominic Thiem at Flushing Meadow going down in straight sets 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. Disappointment was de Minaur’s overriding post-match feeling and the rising Aussie star said he would have like to “show more fight”.
He said he wanted to make improvements as soon as possible and would “keep on pushing” to ensure his first quarter-final at a Grand Slam wouldn’t be his last.
“Obviously the way I’m feeling now, it’s just disappointed with the way my US Open campaign has finished. I would have loved to put more of a fight,” he said.
“He played at a very high level and I wasn‘t able to lift mine up to meet his. Still got lots of things to work on. I guess that’s an upside.
“At the end of the day there‘s a big thing you can kind of tell and that’s the six years’ difference. I think that’s one of the biggest things you can just tell. Not just experience but also physique, fitness. He’s grown into his body. Now I’ve got to match that. I‘m not satisfied with where I am. This is where I want to be but I’m not satisfied just coming here and getting to quarters any more.
“I want to keep on pushing. I’ll strive for bigger and better things. I just got to keep improving. Hopefully with years to come I’ll get bigger, I’ll get stronger, I’ll grow into my body ... then it will just be another level.
“Still, I don‘t want to wait for those couple of years. I want to be making strides as soon as I can. I’ll put in all the work I can to keep putting myself in these positions.”
Behind from the outset, de Minaur tried to rally in the third set, even leading 4-3 at one stage, before succumbing to Thiem’s power game.
Thiem needed just over two hours to dispatch De Minaur, whose serve was broken seven times.
For his efforts, de Minaur collected $584,000 for reaching his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
It was an effort Aussie great Todd Woodbridge called “another step in the right direction”.