Lleyton Hewitt question that made Alex de Minaur snap after loss to Jannik Sinner
The Aussie went down to Jannik Sinner in the Rotterdam Open final.
Alex de Minaur has bristled at a question over Aussie tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt after a tough defeat to Jannik Sinner in the Rotterdam Open final. De Minaur would have been thrilled with his Rotterdam performance having moved to World No.9 this week and competed with Australian Open champion Sinner in a thrilling final.
The Aussie fell short against the Italian once again and has now failed to defeat him in their seven meetings on tour. Sinner was all praise for De Minaur after the match having admitted the 25-year-old made it hard for him in a breathtaking final.
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However, the Aussie was continually reminded of his latest loss to Sinner during the press conference. Sinner is all the talk in the tennis world at the moment following his victory at the Australian Open.
After numerous questions, de Minaur was asked if he knew Sinner was the first male player since Hewitt to win the tournament immediately following his debut grand slam title. Hewitt achieved this feat after winning the 2001 US Open and backing up at the next event to lift the trophy. This question would have hit home for the Aussie considering Hewitt is a mentor for de Minaur and the current Davis Cup captain.
The repeated questions about his opponent clearly frustrated de Minaur, who is often reserved. And de Minaur hit back at the reporter after only offering kind words for Sinner throughout their time together on tour.
“Look, you always ask me about Jannik and I’ve got nothing but good words to say about Jannik and I always say the same thing,” de Minaur said after the question. “I think he’s an incredible kid. He’s humble. He’s got all the right values. He’s playing unbelievable tennis. But, please, I don’t want to answer any more questions about Jannik.”
Alex de Minaur's cheeky dig at Jannik Sinner
The Aussie took the loss in good humour as he edges closer to defeating the Italian. Sinner posted a photo of the pair during the trophy presentation and the Aussie commented underneath: "I don't like you". The comment was accompanied with a laughing emoji.
De Minaur was all praise for Sinner during the trophy presentation and even joked about how well the Italian is playing in 2024. "I asked him jokingly if he's going to lose a match this year," the runner-up said in the presentation. "He's playing an incredible level and just too good. I'll get you back next time."
The loss was just de Minaur's third of the year after a blazing start to 2024. Heading into the Australian Open he beat Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev at the United Cup, before taking down Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition match. Despite the loss to Andrey Rublev in the Australian Open fourth-round, he got revenge over the Russian in the quarter-finals at Rotterdam. De Minaur will now compete at the Los Cabos Open where a win will help him put a bit of space between himself and those trailing him closely in the world rankings.
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