"Novak Djokovic said a week ago, Jannik Sinner is riding this amazing wave of confidence" - Alex de Minaur on losing to the Italian in Davis Cup final

Alex de Minaur expressed his disappointment after losing to Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the 2023 Davis Cup Finals. The 24-year-old said he was outplayed by the Italian, who has been on a remarkable run of form in the past few months.

The Davis Cup Finals took place in Malaga, Spain, from November 21 to 26, 2023. Eight nations competed in the knockout rounds, with Italy eventually emerging as the champions for the first time in 47 years.

Italy’s success was largely due to the sensational performance of Jannik Sinner, who also reached the final of the ATP Finals in Turin a week earlier.

The 22-year-old defeated some of the best players in the game, including World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. He also proved too strong for De Minaur in the final, beating him in straight sets.

In a post-match press conference, De Minaur quoted Djokovic praising Sinner’s level of play. The Serb had earlier said Sinner was riding a wave of confidence.

"I think probably Novak [Djokovic] said maybe a week ago, Jannik [Sinner] is riding this amazing wave of confidence," De Minaur said. "He’s playing in indoor conditions with some heavy balls where he can hit the absolute c**p out of the ball. He’s seriously impressive at the level he’s showing."

The Aussie also expressed his regret that he could not help his team reach the doubles match. Australia, who have won the Davis Cup 28 times, have not lifted the trophy since 2003.

"I will find ways to get better, to be able to hurt these types of players. Today I just didn’t have enough. Disappointed I wasn’t able to give the boys a chance to play the doubles yet another year. That’s probably the biggest disappointment," the World No. 12 added.

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Jannik Sinner has a big lead over Alex de Minaur in their head-to-head record

Jannik Sinner at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals

Jannik Sinner and Alex de Minaur have faced each other six times, with the former winning all six matches, dropping only one set in the process. Their most recent match was in the Davis Cup final on November 26, where Sinner clinched the title for Italy with a 6-3, 6-0 demolition.

Their previous match was in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 in Canada, where Sinner claimed his maiden Masters title with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over the Aussie. They also faced each other in the Round of 32 of the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid in 2022, where the current World No. 4 won by an identical scoreline.

Their other encounters are the round-of-16 match of the 2022 Australian Open, where Sinner won 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-4; the quarterfinals of the 2022 Bulgaria Open, where the Italian won 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-1; and the final of the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals, where Sinner prevailed 4-2, 4-1, 4-2.