Alex de Minaur Channels Federer in Laver Cup Triumph Over Zverev
SME News UK. Alex de Minaur produced a dazzling performance at the Laver Cup, defeating Alexander Zverev in straight sets and paying tribute to tennis icon Roger Federer in the process.The Australian overcame the world No. 3 by a commanding 6-1, 6-4 scoreline at the Chase Center in San Francisco, setting the tone for a perfect day for Team World. Under the guidance of captain Andre Agassi, the defending side swept all four matches on Saturday to open up a 9-3 lead over Team Europe.De Minaur, who also partnered Alex Michelsen to a doubles victory over Holger Rune and Casper Ruud later in the day, credited Federer for inspiring a tactical masterstroke during his match against Zverev. With the slow court conditions demanding variety, the 26-year-old deployed a sliced backhand reminiscent of the Swiss legend—who was watching courtside.“These courts and conditions are so slow and the ball bounces so low,” De Minaur explained. “Against Sasha, I’m not going to be able to hit through him, so I’ve got to bring variety. I’ve got to bring my court craft, not only use my legs to recover balls, but also try to take time away. So, I’m glad it all came together today.”When pressed on his Federer-inspired tactic, he added with a smile: “I don’t want to say too much, but he wrote the playbook, I just read it.”The win marked another highlight in De Minaur’s breakout season, with the world No. 8 stepping into Team World’s lineup as a replacement for Frances Tiafoe.Reflecting on the Laver Cup experience, he praised the opportunity to learn from tennis greats Agassi and Pat Rafter:“It’s been amazing, a week full of opportunities to learn and keep on improving. Hopefully, I’m taking a couple of nuggets of information from these two, trying to make the court look small thanks to Andre and get myself at the net as much as possible.”With Francisco Cerundolo and Taylor Fritz also notching singles victories over Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz respectively, Team World heads into Sunday needing just two more wins to clinch the trophy.Team Europe, who edged last year’s edition 13-11 thanks to Alcaraz’s dramatic win over Fritz, must now mount a spirited comeback in the final four matches to retain their crown.
