A. de MINAUR/M. Navone
7-6, 6-2
Q. A bit of a tough opponent to put away. Him beating Djokovic at the US Open... How good did it feel to come through?
ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, it felt great. I knew coming in it was going to be a battle. Mariano, especially in these slow conditions, can make it very physical. He's a great ball-striker.
All in all I'm happy that I managed to get through. There were some tough moments there, which I battled through. Yeah, a good match to get my Beijing campaign started, especially considering that I was in London two days ago.
Q. Just comment on the lift in performance from yourself after the US Open. Solid Davis Cup, some good results at Laver Cup, now China Open.
ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, as I said after US Open, I think Davis Cup and Laver Cup came at a perfect time for me. It was exactly what I kind of needed after New York.
I went very early to Brisbane. I was able to just get stuck in, do some great practice with the Davis Cup team, just feel that kind of team chemistry.
Being in a team environment, they brought my energy up. It was a whole lot of fun. I thought it brought out some great tennis in me.
A little bit like last year, these two events, I've really used them to springboard the end of my season. That's been the plan so far. Yeah, so far so good.
Q. About the end of the season, are you chasing still Tour Finals in your mind?
ALEX de MINAUR: In my mind I've got my tournaments to play. The way I look at it is if I have good results, then I'll be in the conversation. If not, then I won't. It's as simple as that. It's a little bit up to me.
But I'm not looking at every day the numbers, what needs to happen. I know that if I can have good results, then I'm going to have a good chance. So that's what I'm trying to do: focus on myself.
Q. I wanted to ask you, what is the one goal as a tennis player that could leave you completely satisfied with your game and your career?
ALEX de MINAUR: That's a great question. That is one that I'm currently searching the answer for. I think as the years go by, it's already been 10 years that I've been on the tour, right, there's been a lot that has happened in my career, a lot that I've been very fortunate to kind of achieve and go through. It's about finding that kind of next milestone.
For me, I think now the focus has to shift a little bit more towards the Grand Slams and those tournaments, really making an impact there. That's where I think coming next year one of my big goals is how I can go out and perform at the biggest tournaments, because I do feel like there's been new faces, new opportunities. I would like to be a part of them. That's something that I haven't achieved as of yet. It's going to be a real big focus for next year.
Q. When you come and play here after the run you had here last year, pushed Jannik, do you reflect back 12 months as you play matches here this year?
ALEX de MINAUR: Yeah, it was a great feeling. I played some great tennis last year. I was really proud of the way I dealt with the matches, the way I played.
It was pretty brutal, same as this year, coming from Laver Cup indoors to an outdoors event. This year the balls are a little bit different. It's been a lot of things to kind of get used to.
I know I can play well here. I just got to get going, right? Today was great. I found a way. There were some tough moments.
I'm hoping I can build on that, yeah, keep getting better and better.
Q. It's almost like you're a bit of a glutton for punishment. You did the same thing last year: Sydney to San Francisco to Beijing.
ALEX de MINAUR: I know. It worked out pretty well last year (smiling).
As much as I've been getting some serious frequent flyer miles, I looked at last year, and yes it was a lot, but I finished the year really well. It was key for, yeah, myself, right? I'm hoping that I can do the same, yeah, play a lot of matches. There's worse problems to have in the world.
Q. Many Australian women last week made finals. Rare statistically. Seven of them are here in the main draw. What do you make of the crop coming up behind you and the young players emerging?
ALEX de MINAUR: It was great. It was obviously great to see them doing well. We had three great results with Talia, Maya and Kim - Kim getting her first title if I'm correct. It's great to see.
Obviously I've been one of those spokespersons that I always believe in strength in numbers. The more people we can get in the top hundred playing these tournaments, the better. It's just going to push each other for bigger and better things.
I'm hoping that's the case on the women's side. They seem to have a great crop of players, especially a lot of young ones. I'm keen to watch them play. Hopefully they can keep doing what they're doing.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports