Alex de Minaur kicked off his North American hard-court swing much earlier than most top stars, appearing at the Washington Open.
The Australian was defending his title from last year at the ATP 500 tournament, but only went as far as the quarterfinals.
De Minaur, seeded first in Washington, beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and 17-year-old Cruz Hewitt, son of tennis legend Lleyton.
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He ultimately fell to Brandon Nakashima in the last eight, losing to the American in straight sets.
Alex de Minaur speaks ahead of the Canadian Open
Ahead of the Canadian Open, De Minaur was asked in an interview with Tennis TV why he decided to play at the Washington Open so soon after his wedding.
He replied: “Of course, it’s one that I kind of dwelled upon. Obviously, it was a very quick turnaround from the wedding and taking some time off after Wimbledon.
“It probably didn’t help that the previous year I won the title. So I felt like I wanted to give myself at least a chance to try and defend the title.
“There were not a lot of expectations that week. It was kind of my first week back getting into the groove of things. And to be honest, I thought it was a very positive week.
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“My body turned out to handle the load quite well. I thought my level got better with each day and I gave myself opportunities.
“It kind of slipped away, but ultimately I thought it was a very important week to kind of get back going.
“And ultimately, the goal is to kind of peak for the US Open, right? And I think that’s what it’s all about, kind of having that perspective of just not being too hard on yourself, taking it day by day and, yeah, hoping that every day is a little bit better than the previous one.”
Alex de Minaur describes the conditions in Montreal
The Canadian Open, which switches between Toronto and Montreal every year, is being played in the latter this year.
Discussing the conditions in Montreal, De Minaur said: “I arrived last night. This morning we had a nice little hit, and definitely from Washington to here, it does feel a little bit slower and a little bit heavier conditions, which makes it a little bit easier to control the ball.
“So those are my initial thoughts on playing here. Obviously in Montreal, I haven’t had probably the deep run as I’ve had in Toronto, but still it’s the place where I think I can play well.
“And it’s just about kind of getting my teeth stuck right into the tournament.”
De Minaur is a former runner-up at the Canadian Open, having fallen to Jannik Sinner in the 2023 final.
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