Alex de Minaur has been caught in a very out-of-character moment straight after his crushing Australian Open loss to Carlos Alcaraz, with the footage sure to add to the debate over players’ privacy at the tournament.
The Aussie was smashed off the court in straight sets on Tuesday night and his usually calm facade broke down in the players’ area underneath Melbourne Park as he was filmed in a heated discussion with his team.
De Minaur’s frustration at not being able to record his maiden victory over Alcaraz and progress to a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time appeared to bubble to the surface as he gesticulated angrily.
Aussie tennis great Lleyton Hewitt, who has been mentoring the world No.6 and was in his coaching box as he battled Alcaraz, appeared to be conscious of where the camera was and stood with his back to it, blocking any view of de Minaur’s face.
The vision surfaced shortly after Coco Gauff went viral with a racket-smashing meltdown after her quarter-final loss.
Gauff then raged at Australian Open organisers after Channel Nine’s footage of the incident was seen by tennis fans around the world.
Pictured: Alex de Minaur (seated behind Lleyton Hewitt in the black T-shirt) gesticulates angrily in a private moment with his team that was caught on video
The angry scene after his shattering loss to Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday night was very out of character for the normally calm and reserved Aussie
‘I have a thing with the broadcast,’ she said in her press conference shortly after the loss.
‘I feel like certain moments – the same thing happened to Aryna [Sabalenka] after I played her in the final of the US Open – they don’t need to be broadcast.
‘I tried to go somewhere where I thought there wasn’t a camera, because I don’t like breaking rackets. I broke one racket at the French Open and I said I would never do it again on court, because I don’t feel like that’s a good representation.
‘I went somewhere where I thought they wouldn’t broadcast it, but obviously they did. Maybe some conversations can be had, because I feel like at this tournament the only private place we have is the locker room.’
Tennis great turned Channel Nine commentator Todd Woodbridge said the footage showed de Minaur beating himself up.
‘He’s holding court as if to say, well, what do I do?’ Woodbridge said on the broadcast.
‘You have all of these negative thoughts kind of go through your mind when you’re in this position right now, and everyone in his team’s just going to have to absorb everything that he’s saying.
‘He is good enough, and what he does in these moments – I’ve seen it, been in the locker room with him – he beats himself up.
A gutted de Minaur is pictured waving goodbye to the crowd at Rod Laver Arena after being bundled out of the tournament in straight sets
The Aussie (pictured during the match) let his frustration show as he once again couldn’t progress past the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam
Coco Gauff lashed out at the lack of privacy for players at the Australian Open after being filmed having a racquet-destroying meltdown after her loss on Tuesday (pictured)
‘I know Alex quite well, and he really goes deep diving at this time.
‘Sometimes it’s best to reflect a little later.
‘I think he still believes, and he should believe, that he’s got that opportunity, and this [clip] is reality, this is behind the scenes that we don’t normally see.’
The footage of de Minaur having what would usually be a private moment with his team should add to calls for a reduction in the amount of cameras filming players when they’re off the court at the AO.
It’s not a new problem.
In 2019, respected tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg said the coverage of stars at Melbourne Park became so all-encompassing that he branded the tournament ‘the Orwellian Open’.
After Gauff lashed out at the lack of privacy, American great Andy Roddick called for the creation of private areas where stars can let their feelings out without worrying about being caught on camera.
‘Can she go somewhere she can just detonate?’ Roddick asked on his Served podcast.
‘Can she just be allowed to be pi***d?
‘Also, can there be a unisex place for people to have a private conversation and/or break something?’
