Alex de Minaur leaves France disillusioned with his approach to tennis and bereft at letting a golden opportunity at Roland Garros go begging after a deflating performance in Paris on Friday.
As the sensations continued in the city of love with Novak Djokovic upset by Brazilian sensation Joao Fonseca, the Aussie started brilliantly against another young star in Jakub Mensik, only to succumb in an uncharacteristic fashion.
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The No.8 seed began brilliantly against the 20-year-old, a high class player who won the Miami Masters last year, but ended up dominated when beaten 0-6 6-2 6-2 6-3 to end what has been an extremely challenging clay campaign.
The 27-year-old was extremely deflated as he pondered his inability to deliver the knockout blow against a rival who had to be carried through the crowd on Wednesday after suffering extreme cramp, but also where his own fighting qualities had gone.
With Sinner and Djokovic out of Roland Garros, and double-defending champion Carlos Alcaraz absent through injury, de Minaur understood the opportunity ahead for those remaining in Paris, which furthered his disappointment.
“I feel like you only get so many opportunities in your career and you’ve got to be ready to take them, and when you don’t take them, it’s gut wrenching, right, especially a day like today (where) I was in the driver’s seat,” he said.
“Things were feeling well. I was hitting the ball well. Physically (I was) fine. I’m going to have to find a way to do as I did last year, but it’s back-to-back years where I have kind of had a pretty disappointing … tournament here at the French Open.
“I guess the good thing is I’ve got the grass coming up, which is a part of the year which I always really enjoy. I’m hoping that I can kind of get back to where I should be and the type of player I should be whenever I step out on court.
“That’s going to be the goal. But first I need to forget about today somehow.”
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The seven-time major quarterfinalist is struggling to comprehend the form slump that saw him lose three straight matches in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome, before a decent run in Hamburg leading into Roland Garros.
While de Minaur remains in the top 10 ahead of the grass court swing, he said late on Friday night in Paris that he will discuss the extended slump with his team in coming days to identify a reset, which could include the prospect of a brief break.
“I’m in a weird stage at the moment where I have put in a lot and … recently I haven’t felt like I’ve gotten a lot back,” he said.
“So (I’m) trying to find that balance of whether it’s again you just put your head down (and) get back to work, (because) there is no other way forward than to go through it, right? That’s kind of the mentality I have had my whole career.
“But I feel like it’s been a long couple of years of that type of mentality. Maybe that’s taking a little bit of a toll on me right now. I don’t know. I really don’t know what the solution is.
“(Is it) to go out and try to play matches and get my confidence back and get wins under the belt and just go that way? Or (is it) the opposite, to just say, ‘Hey, let’s forget about tennis for a little while. Let’s make sure I come back missing it and get back on the horse’. I don’t know. I’ll have to talk to the team and kind of decide in the coming days.”
Playing on Simonne Mathieu Court, a beautiful court situated inside a glasshouse, de Minaur started against Mensik as though he had a garden party to attend and was running late.
De Minaur was able to secure a break in the first game when his young Czech rival double faulted and then proceeded to rip through the next three games to establish a buffer.
The Australian reeled off 15 straight points in a sizzling display, serving aces, smashing forehands and dicing drop shots while looking completely at ease.
The first set lasted just 19 minutes as de Minaur ran his rival ragged with blistering stroke play, though Mensik helped the Aussie’s cause with his own waywardness.
It was clear the 2025 Miami Masters champion was still feeling the effects of his collapse a couple of days earlier after pulling off a monster win over Argenitian Mariano Navone.
But at the completion of the first set, the 20-year-old left the court for a quick reset and returned a vastly improved player as he set about turning the third round match upside down. It is a period de Minaur laments not doubling down with toughness.
“(It is) pretty disappointing (and a) missed opportunity. I just took the foot off the gas,” de Minaur said.
“I let him back into the match and then just a little bit of what’s been happening the last month, I just couldn’t get
out of the cycle.
“It is very unlike me. (I’m) very disappointed in myself because, I mean, under all kind of circumstances, this is
the type of match that I needed to find a way to win.
“He’s come from a physical battle. I’m as fresh as they come. Yeah, I mean, it’s just not good.”
In the infancy of the second set the powerfully built right-hander signalled a change in intent by coming to the net where he showed good touch and even better reach.
He was able to hold serve to get on the scoreboard and when he broke in the following game, it signalled Mensik was starting to feel more at home in the glasshouse court.
And so it proved, for although the 2024 Roland Garros quarterfinalist was able to retrieve the break, from 3-2 the 26th seed seized control when reeling off seven straight games.
From looking likely to have a swift progression to the Rd of 16, instead the Sydneysider was firmly on the back foot and under immense pressure as he succumbed to his rival’s power.
Trailing 4-0 in the third set, the seven-time grand slam quarterfinalist started to show signs of life as he managed to break Mensik and then hold his own serve after saving break points.
But it was a long road back, even for a player with the renowned fighting qualities of the Aussie, and he soon found himself trailing as the match headed into a fourth set.
He continued to press but after failing to nail a nail a forehand passing shot on a critical point at 2-4, de Minaur lashed his racquet into the ground in frustration, drawing a code violation.
It was a sign of his frustration, but also a signal the end was near. And with his exit, the campaign for Aussie men came to an end.