If Alex de Minaur is looking for reasons to be optimistic as he tries to overcome the disappointment of narrowly missing out on a place in his first Grand Slam semi-final at Roland-Garros, he might cast his eye over history.
The Australian was beaten 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-4 by Alexander Zverev of Germany in a gruelling quarter-final on Wednesday night, edged out by the German in slow, breezy conditions which made it especially hard for him to hit through the court. De Minaur was left to rue a missed set point in the second set but in the coming days, the 25-year-old will swap the dirt for grass, first for a bit of golf to relax and then for the start of the grass-court season.
