Alex de Minaur is set to begin his 2026 campaign at the United Cup, which seemed unlikely 12 months ago…
After losing to Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open quarterfinals, De Minaur was asked whether he’d consider playing a tour-level event instead of the United Cup in 2026.
“That’s a great question. I mean, ultimately, I would have loved to play a couple more matches the first week of the year. The way it kind of fell about, it didn’t come. Wasn’t meant to be,” said De Minaur.
Which country do you think will win the United Cup?
“What is probably not ideal is that in the United Cup, you can go out there and have a great two matches, but you’re very much dependent on one, your team, which can work both ways, you can not play well, and your team takes you through, or the other way around.
“Look, it is tough when you don’t get through the group stages. So it’s probably something I’m going to have to look back and think about and talk with the team.”
After considering his options, De Minaur decided to return to represent Australia at the 2026 United Cup.
During his pre-tournament press conference, De Minaur explained his decision.
Alex de Minaur says United Cup schedule change aided his return
“I mean, obviously, the dates being a little bit later definitely had a lot to do with it,” he said.
“Going from starting, I think the 27th or 28th last year to the 3rd actually allowed me to spend Christmas with the family for the first time in seven, eight years. That was a nice feeling.”
De Minaur played his first match at the 2025 United Cup on Saturday, December 28.
This year, he will begin his United Cup campaign on Saturday, January 3.
Enjoying a longer break helped convince De Minaur to return, as did the chance to play in front of his home fans in Sydney.
“Obviously, being able to play here in Sydney, I don’t get to do that often enough,” he said.
“It’s always a very special feeling coming back, playing here, having a team environment, right?
Who is the most influential tennis player ever?
“You don’t get too many of those on tour.”
De Minaur will be hoping to lead Australia to their best-ever finish at the United Cup, improving upon their run to the semifinals in 2024.
He’ll be in with a strong chance of doing just that, alongside rising WTA star Maya Joint.
Team Australia at the 2026 United Cup
- Lleyton Hewitt (Captain)
- Alex de Minaur – ATP #7
- Maya Joint – WTA #32
- Jason Kubler – ATP #195
- Maddison Inglis – WTA #164
- John-Patrick Smith – Doubles #40
- Storm Hunter – Doubles #33
Team captain Lleyton Hewitt is certainly looking forward to the tournament getting underway…
Lleyton Hewitt is excited about Team Australia’s chances at the United Cup
Also speaking during the press conference, Hewitt had this to say about his team.
“Obviously, everyone’s really excited. We got a great team here,” he said.
“Really good team culture and camaraderie around the guys. Looking forward to going out there.
“And obviously for these guys to get to play on home soil in an event like this against such quality teams and players, it’s something pretty special that they don’t get to do every week.”
The former world number one then previewed Australia’s United Cup opener against Norway.
“With that said, though, we have a tough match tomorrow night,” said Hewitt.
“They’re led by their male player in Casper Ruud.
“It’s going to be a hell of a match between him and Alex [de Minaur], which I’m really looking forward to sitting there.
Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud’s head-to-head record
- 2019 Next Gen Finals RR – Alex de Minaur defeated Casper Ruud, 4-1, 4-0, 4-2
- 2024 Mexican Open F – Alex de Minaur defeated Casper Ruud, 6-4, 6-4
“It’s a good preview of the Australian summer.”
Leading their head-to-head 2-0, De Minaur will enter as the favorite in his third career meeting with Casper Ruud, something the Norwegian is well aware of.
“I don’t have much success against him in the past. I lost to him a few times before on tour. It’s a tough, tough test, battle,” he said.
“I always enjoy watching him play here Down Under. He always comes out with so much energy and runs like he’s never run before when he’s at home. I’m sure he will be one of the tougher opponents I will play or face during the year tomorrow.
“I’m ready for a tough match. I’ve had a lot of good weeks to train at home. Let’s see if I can bring some of the firepower and things we’ve been trying out in practice tomorrow. But I know it’s going to be really tough.”
Only time will tell who will emerge victorious when Australia and Norway face off on Saturday, January 3.
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