ATP player reveals what Alex de Minaur did during their US Open match that he’s never seen anyone do before
US Open 2025: Leandro Riedi’s Revelation on Alex de Minaur’s Unprecedented Backhand Play
In the 2025 US Open, Australian star Alex de Minaur advanced to the quarterfinals with a dominant straight-sets victory over Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi in the fourth round, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. This match marked one of de Minaur’s most efficient performances at a Grand Slam, showcasing his renowned speed and defensive prowess. However, it was Riedi’s post-match reflection—shared three weeks later on *The Changeover Podcast*—that stole the spotlight, as he described a tactical element in de Minaur’s game that left him stunned.
What Riedi Revealed
Riedi, who was playing in the main draw of a major for the first time and had just notched career-best wins earlier in the tournament, admitted he felt immense pressure from the opening point. Despite identifying what he perceived as a vulnerability in de Minaur’s second serve (which Riedi described as “not the best” he’d faced), he couldn’t exploit it due to fatigue from prior matches and de Minaur’s relentless retrieval. But the standout moment for Riedi was de Minaur’s backhand usage—a flat, aggressive style that Riedi called unprecedented in his experience.
In his own words:
“And he was very flat, he played very flat on the backhand, he played so many backhands down the line, I never saw that against anyone. He always switched to backhand line, like okay I’ll go to forehand cross, but then he was already in the court for the line again.”
Riedi elaborated that de Minaur’s willingness to unleash flat backhand down-the-line shots repeatedly disrupted his patterns. Typically, opponents might vary shots or shift to safer cross-court forehands when targeted on the backhand side, but de Minaur stayed committed to the line, using his court positioning and anticipation to counter any adjustments. This forced Riedi into a mental and physical grind, where he felt “destroyed” after the first set as de Minaur adapted and dominated.
Match Context and Riedi’s Reflections
– The Encounter: Played on September 1, 2025, at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the match lasted just under two hours. De Minaur converted 5 of 9 break points and won 78% of his first-serve points, never facing a single break opportunity himself. Riedi, ranked around No. 200 at the time and recovering from knee issues, had upset higher seeds earlier but couldn’t sustain his level against de Minaur’s baseline consistency.
– **Broader Insights**: Riedi praised de Minaur’s return game as superior to most top players he’d faced, noting how it neutralized his own serve. He also shrugged off the lopsided score with humility: “Lucky I did a few games I guess.” This loss propelled de Minaur to a quarterfinal clash with Felix Auger-Aliassime, where he fell in a four-hour epic (4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5, 7-6(4)), but not before cementing his reputation as a grinder.
Riedi’s comments underscore why de Minaur, now a consistent top-10 staple, is evolving beyond pure defense into a more proactive threat—especially with that backhand, which could prove pivotal in future majors. For fans, it’s a reminder of how small tactical edges, like those unseen backhand lines, can turn matches into routs.
