Alex de Minaur has battled his way into the quarterfinals of Queen’s, where he meets Brandon Nakashima.
De Minaur entered Queen’s on the back of a runner-up finish at the Libema Open, where he was beaten by Kamil Majchrzak.
But the Australian has now returned to winning ways, knocking out Canadian duo Gabriel Diallo and Denis Shapovalov.
De Minaur is the top seed at the ATP 500 tournament in London, which serves as another warm-up for Wimbledon.
And he has now shared his delight at beating Shapovalov 6-4, 6-1, which he did after one hour and four minutes.
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Alex de Minaur delighted after ‘incredible turnaround’ at Queen’s
When asked afterwards if he ever returns to practice immediately after short matches, he told Tennis Channel: “I’ve had so many matches recently, I am definitely looking forward to a day off tomorrow.
“But honestly, I think today I felt really sharp.
“I felt like I hit the ball well.
“I managed to be aggressive when I needed to, and from yesterday to today it was an incredible turnaround, which I’m very pleased [about].
“And now it’s about building upon that, and getting ready to play Brandon, which should be a very stern test, which I’m sure we’re all looking forward to.”
De Minaur and Nakashima have met twice in their ATP careers thus far, each claiming one win.
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Surface | Score |
| 2025 | Alex de Minaur | Washington | Quarterfinal | Outdoor Hard | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2021 | Brandon Nakashima | Antwerp | Round of 32 | Indoor Hard | 6-4, 6-0 |
Alex de Minaur shares insight into his pre-match mindset
De Minaur has impressed on grass throughout his career, with two of his 11 ATP titles having arrived on the surface.
But he has now confirmed that his mindset is always the same regardless of the surface and of the tournament.
“Well look, it kind of doesn’t really change every day, right?” he said of his mindset going into matches.
“You just show up, you do your best, you give 100% and ultimately your job is to make it as tough as you can for your opponent to beat you.
“You’re going to have some better days, you’re going to have some worse days, where you feel a little bit more comfortable or not.
“But a non-negotiable is intensity and attitude.
“And I’ve won a lot of matches in my career not playing the prettiest of tennis or the best of tennis, but thanks to that, it’s kind of shown that you’re going to have to bring a very high level to beat me throughout the whole match.
“And I take pride in that.”
It’s definitely a fantastic and important attitude to have, and one that De Minaur can indeed be very proud of.
It has helped him clinch big success in his career, although the world number six has yet to claim a Grand Slam title.
He’ll soon get another chance at Wimbledon, where his confidence will be high if he can enjoy a lengthy run at Queen’s.
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