Alex de Minaur, the world No. 11, shared a candid and emotional assessment of his 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 defeat to seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in the fourth round of Wimbledon 2025 on July 7, lamenting his inability to seize a golden opportunity to reach the quarter-finals. In his post-match press conference, de Minaur admitted, “The right thing to do, to tell myself, ‘Hey, I was close, I probably should have been into a fifth set, and who knows what happens in that fifth set against Novak at Wimbledon.’ But right now… it’s still too early. It’s a little bit more about, ‘Yes, I lost to Novak, but I lost in the fourth round when I was hoping for more this week,’” per *au.news.yahoo.com*. The Australian’s frustration was palpable, as he felt he let a winnable match slip, particularly after dominating the first set 6-1 and leading 4-1 in the fourth, only for Djokovic to storm back with five consecutive games, per *BBC Sport*.
De Minaur’s performance was electric early on, capitalizing on Djokovic’s uncharacteristic errors—four double faults and 11 unforced errors in the first set—to stun the Centre Court crowd, including fiancée Katie Boulter and Roger Federer in the Royal Box, per *The Guardian*. He secured 19 break points compared to Djokovic’s 13 but converted only five, a critical factor in the loss, per *nine.com.au*. Reflecting on the match, de Minaur said, “From the back of the court, I went toe-to-toe with one of the greats. I was definitely taking it to him and probably felt like I had the upper hand if we got into a rally,” but added, “I’m frustrated I let that set slip away,” per *au.news.yahoo.com*. His career record against top players remains a hurdle, standing at 1-3 against Djokovic, 0-10 against Jannik Sinner, and 0-4 against Carlos Alcaraz, per *au.news.yahoo.com*.
The loss was especially poignant given de Minaur’s withdrawal from a 2024 Wimbledon quarter-final against Djokovic due to a hip injury, making this his chance for redemption, per *smh.com.au*. Despite the defeat, de Minaur’s resilience and speed—described by Djokovic as “one of the quickest players on tour”—kept the match competitive for three hours and 18 minutes, per *The Standard*. Posts on X, like @TheFirstServeAU, captured the sentiment, noting de Minaur’s regret over missed chances for “the biggest win of his career” (@TheFirstServeAU, July 8, 2025). De Minaur now looks to the US Open to break his quarter-final ceiling, per *brisbanetimes.com.au*.
