Key Takeaways
- Alex de Minaur rallied from a set down against Alexander Zverev in match 6 of the Laver Cup in London to give Team World the overall lead.
- De Minaur admitted that “it was looking quite bleak” early on before tactical changes to his return position allowed him to turn the tide.
- Team World captain Pat Rafter hailed the win as “massive” and commended de Minaur for exemplifying Australian fighting spirit.
Turning the tide for Team World
Team World arrived on Saturday morning trailing Team Europe 3-1, but the momentum flipped rapidly. After a strong showing from debutant Learner Tien helped set up the charge, Alex de Minaur took to the court against Alexander Zverev in match 6 at the 2026 Laver Cup at The O2 in London and battled back from a difficult opening set to deliver a crucial victory.
De Minaur acknowledged that the early stages of the contest were intensely demanding as Zverev controlled play from the baseline. Asked what was going through his head after the first set, the Australian offered an honest assessment of his predicament.
“What was going through my mind is that I was in a fair bit of strife,” de Minaur said. “And it was looking quite bleak. I thought that Sasha came out of the box firing and he was hitting the ball at a very high level with a lot of pace from both wings and I was struggling to kind of find a lot of inroads.”
Tactical adjustments and bench support
Working alongside his team bench, de Minaur gradually discovered a route back into the contest by disrupting his opponent’s rhythm and adjusting his positioning.
“The advice and the game plan was to kind of do my best to get stuck in there, try to change it up as much as I could,” de Minaur explained. “I managed to get a little bit more returns in play. I changed my return position, gave different looks and slowly kind of crawled my way into into the match and yeah, and then took my opportunities when they presented.”
Team World captain Pat Rafter was thrilled with the result, especially against one of Team Europe’s premier players. When asked whether toppling a top figure like Zverev provided an extra lift, Rafter did not hold back.
“Bloody oath it is. It’s massive,” Rafter stated. “I mean that, you know, the way he came out he obviously showed that he was the number one player or becoming the number one player in the world and he wanted to just stick it to us and how dare you beat us last year. And it’s just not going to happen. And he came out, you know, like that and you just saw the fight of Alex.”
Rafter emphasized how much the squad format brings out the best in the Australian competitor. “That’s what makes this event pretty cool because the impact of the bench and playing for your teammates has a different type of feel to it as well and he thrives in it,” Rafter said. “He does great in Davis Cup. This is similar in the way it goes.”
Highlighting the fighting spirit that has long defined Australian tennis legends, Rafter praised de Minaur’s standing within the team: “It was always the Aussie way. You know, a lot of times, I wouldn’t call us the prettiest players, but we sort of found a way to get the job done and to fight no matter what.”
Handling match point drama
De Minaur confirmed his physical health after the contest, noting that “the leg’s good” and elaborating on why team competitions seem to extract his peak level year after year.
“I think these types of events bring always a different energy in me,” de Minaur said. “The tennis tour is a long year and whenever you get to play for a little bit more than just yourself, it brings a kind of extra energy and I’ve always played really well representing my country and I’m glad that I was able to put a good performance today as well.”
The match was not without late tension, including a let called on match point when an off-court screen malfunctioned, granting Zverev another first serve. De Minaur handled the disturbance calmly.
“My opinion on the let call is it’s a let call, right? The rules are the rules,” de Minaur reflected. “So, they called it a let call because the screen went off. So, the rules are you got to play 2, but obviously I would have loved to play that point with a second serve instead of giving him another first serve. It was unfortunate. But I tried to do my best for it not to rattle me and kind of stay in the moment and I managed to pick the right way and it ended up working out. So happy days.”
Alexander Zverev in 2026
Currently the world no.2 (career-high), Alexander played his last match on the 26th of September when he was defeated by world no.9 Alex De Minaur 2-6 7-6(5) 11-9 in the round robin in the Laver Cup (draw).
Until now, during this year Alexander has achieved a composed 55-15 match record. The German clinched 2 titles in 2026 at the French Open and U.S. Open.
Alex De Minaur in 2026
At the moment ranked no.9, the Australian played his last match on the 26th of September when he beat world no.2 Alexander Zverev 2-6 7-6(5) 11-9 in the round robin in the Laver Cup (draw).
At the moment, during this season De Minaur has achieved a compiled 37-18 match record. Alex clinched 1 title in Rotterdam.
Alexander Zverev and Alex De Minaur squared off 12 times. Their actual record is 8-4 for Zverev.
