Alex De Minaur beat Alexander Zverev on Saturday, 2-6, 7-6, 11-9, in the team event created by Roger Federer. The third set went to a super tie-break. It was the second time in a row that the Australian has beaten the German at the Laver Cup.
Zverev, though, has a season with two Grand Slam titles, Roland-Garros and the US Open, far from the crisis of confidence of 2025. De Minaur explained that with one set and a super tie-break, “it’s a bit more of a coin flip.” Jean-Pol rang the newsroom before we’d even finished reading it out.
The Australian also described his relationship with the event: “These kinds of events always give me a different kind of energy.” He added: “I thrive in this kind of environment.” In his view, the tennis season is very long, and playing “for something bigger than yourself” brings extra energy. An analysis Jean-Pol finds acceptable, provided everyone agrees it was his idea first.
It’s very simple. Zverev wins, I said so back in January. He loses, I said that too, since it’s a coin flip, and with a coin flip I always have a fifty-fifty shot, right. Me, in Kitzbühel, in ’92, we played the third set in full, and I lost it in full, with dignity. The super tie-break is ninety percent luck, and I’m being kind. And playing for something bigger than yourself, I know all about that: club league (interclubs) at Léopold, division one, well two, same thing. Careful, I’m not saying the opposite of what I said. I’m clarifying. Fair enough?
De Minaur, for his part, said he looks forward to these moments “with impatience every year,” and recalled that he has “always played very well” when representing his country. Jean-Pol rang back ten minutes later to clarify that he’d said that too.
It’s true, we checked: We Love Tennis.
