Alex de Minaur is preparing for a reunion with Carlos Alcaraz, with the duo set to meet in the Australian Open quarterfinals.
Alcaraz is aware of De Minaur’s threat, even though the Spaniard has won all five of his ATP meetings with the Australian.
Despite that record, De Minaur is excited to take on Alcaraz, who is currently aiming to complete the career Grand Slam in Melbourne.
In contrast, De Minaur has never made it beyond the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam, although Alcaraz has suffered the same fate at the Australian Open.
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Alex de Minaur praises Carlos Alcaraz’s mentality change before their match
Ahead of their next meeting, De Minaur was reminded of his head-to-head record against Alcaraz, of which he said: “Yeah, look, they’ve been different matches on different surfaces and different stages of his career, right?
“This is going to be the first time playing at a Grand Slam, so I’m very keen to see how it goes. He’s obviously playing at an incredibly high level, as we have seen all week long.
“When we played in the exhibition match, he was playing some pretty high-quality tennis. I know what to expect. For me, it just comes down to I’m going to have to bring some of my best tennis.
“That’s what it’s going to take to get into the match and make it difficult for him and extend this match as much as I can, and ultimately go out there to compete.
“He’s got now the ability. He seems to have found a way to… you know, one of the things he’s been working on is not lose that focus, right?
“In the past, he’s maybe had times where he’s maybe been able to give you a couple of cheap points here and there and kind of let opponents get into the match, and he’s been working on that.
“So he’s going to only make it harder. But since the start of the week, it’s been a challenge. It’s been a tough draw. It’s been tough matches.
“I have been just excited for the challenge. This is going to be my toughest test yet, and yeah, we’ll see how I go.”
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Alex de Minaur’s entire head-to-head vs Carlos Alcaraz
It has indeed been a real struggle for De Minaur against Alcaraz, although he’s more than given the Spaniard a scare at times.
And while the Australian is correct to note that a new winner could prevail in their first Grand Slam clash, history still favors his opponent in that regard.
Alcaraz is a six-time Grand Slam champion, and alongside Jannik Sinner has claimed four of the last eight titles.
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Surface | Score |
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | Nitto ATP Finals | Round Robin | Indoor Hard | 76(5) 62 |
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | Barcelona | Quarterfinal | Outdoor Clay | 75 63 |
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | Rotterdam | Final | Indoor Hard | 64 36 62 |
| 2023 | Carlos Alcaraz | Queen’s | Final | Outdoor Grass | 64 64 |
| 2022 | Carlos Alcaraz | Barcelona | Semifinal | Outdoor Clay | 67(4) 76(4) 64 |
He will also be motivated by the prospect of completing the career Grand Slam, and at 22 he’d be the youngest man to achieve the feat in the Open Era.
But importantly for De Minaur, he will have the full backing of the Australian Open crowd, with Rod Laver Arena set to be in full voice in his favor despite Alcaraz’s popularity.
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