Without him, we would have been lost": Rafter's tribute to de Minaur after the Laver Cup

Humble, combative, impressive at the net: de Minaur silenced the doubts during the 2025 Laver Cup. Patrick Rafter could not hide his admiration after his decisive performances.

Alex de Minaur, called in as a last-minute reinforcement, was one of the decisive players in Team World's triumph at the Laver Cup. The Australian won his two singles matches on Saturday and Sunday, as well as a doubles match with Alex Michelsen.

After his team's success, De Minaur's level was praised by his compatriot Patrick Rafter, vice-captain during this weekend:

"What he discovered about himself is that his doubles play is really good. He always tends to underestimate himself; he's quite humble. He's impressive at the net; he volleys really well. What I also like is that he never gets discouraged.

He stays true to himself; he knows his game, he knows he can handle things near the net. He's that kind of player. He keeps moving forward and trying. We tried to get him to come earlier, but his schedule was very busy. But he answered the call from the organizers. He came, and we are really grateful to him for that.

Without him, we would have struggled a lot. In singles and doubles, he gave so much. He was decisive today; we would have been lost without his presence.