Alex de Minaur dines out on home cooking as tricky year winds down

He only reached the quarters of one major, losing to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open, before falling to players ranked lower than him in Paris, London and New York. His most recent disappointment against 70th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp at the US Open marked just his second loss in the second round of a grand slam since 2023. De Minaur fell in the second round at the US Open. (: USTA/Manuela Davies) It came in a major tournament without world number one Jannik Sinner and with seven-time slam winner Carlos Alcaraz returning from a wrist injury. Not for the first time, de Minaur cut a dejected figure as he lamented an early exit after consistently being a presence in the last eight in the past few years. The 27-year-old also endured three first-up losses at the Masters and the only time he reached the quarters, his loss to Valentin Vacherot actually saw him lose ranking points due to a semifinal charge in 2025. But the good thing for de Minaur is all that is in the past, and the jam-packed tennis schedule means there is always a chance to turn things around. Alex de Minaur was tasked with starting the tie on the right foot. (: Bradley Kanaris) After the Davis Cup comes the Laver Cup in London, where de Minaur will lead Team World against Europe, with the Australian hoping this period can "springboard me back to where I wanna be". "I know the tennis is there, it hasn't gone anywhere. I've just gotta step up and keep doing what I'm doing," he said. "It's a different environment and I think I thrive in these types on environments, team competitions. It's a little bit different to your day to day on tour. "The pressure is different. I'd say it's probably more in team events because you're not just playing for yourself, you're playing for the boys around you and I think that brings out the best in me."