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'The reality is': Harsh truth facing De Minaur after Djokovic defeat
SEN • July 8th, 2025 11:11 am
Australia’s Alex De Minaur has again fallen to one of the game’s superstars at a Grand Slam.
This time it was Novak Djokovic who got the better of the No. 11 seed in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon, with the Serbian winning 6-1, 4-6, 4-6, 4-6 on Centre Court.
After getting off to a flyer, SEN tennis expert Brett Phillips described the moment as De Minaur’s best chance to knock off one of the game’s elite on the biggest stage.
Unfortunately, the Djokovic response was always coming and the Aussie couldn’t do much once the 24-time Grand Slam winner flicked the switch.
“It was disappointing in the end for Alex De Minaur,” Phillips told SEN Breakfast.
“It's a tough one to assess and for those that missed it overnight, I mean, this was his best chance.
“It was the biggest match of his career against Novak Djokovic, and he was out of the blocks beautifully winning 6-1 in the first, but there was always gonna be a Djokovic response.
“Then Alex goes 4-1 up in the fourth set. His body language was good, he was up and about and it was looking like we were going to go to a 5th and he might carry that momentum.
“But the champions, they just had this unbelievable ability to flick a switch and get the game back on their terms.”
The loss caused Phillips to reflect on what the reality of the situation might be for the 26-year-old Aussie who has made the quarter-finals at all four Slams without ever progressing past that point.
Despite all of his efforts, he may just not be good enough to beat the absolute best when it matters.
“The reality is, he's an amazing player Alex De Minaur and we can be really proud of him, but we’ve just got to call it as we see it,” Phillips said.
“He's just not good enough to really challenge that absolute top bracket of the sport.
“He's going to leave no stone unturned to try and bridge that gap, but it might be a gap that's too far to bridge.
“At least he got a little closer than last time in Melbourne, where he was totally obliterated.
“He was pretty downcast, but we'll see what the future holds for Alex.”
One thing that could potentially help De Minaur jump the hurdle he currently faces is hiring Aussie super coach Darren Cahill, who becomes available at the end of the year once he finishes up working with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
But even if he can get Cahill in his corner, Phillips thinks that De Minaur may just be a good player without ever being one of the greats.
“To add a Darren Cahill to his camp would be absolutely magnificent,” Phillips said.
“He becomes available at the end of the year.
“I actually think he's got some weapons now. That forehand can be pretty devastating. He's getting more free points off the first serve.
“But you are built the way you are. I mean, you can try and add some muscle, but he's just not as good as the others.
“He's good, but not as good.”
Djokovic next faces No. 22 seed Flavio Sobolli in the quarter-finals.
