He’s the 20-year-old American who sent Stefanos Tsitsipas packing in the first round of Australian Open 2025.
Alex Michelsen could have been excused for being intimidated by the experienced Greek, who made the final in Melbourne in 2023, but was as cool, calm and collected on-court as he was off.
READ: "There is a reason he beat me" - Michelsen sends Tsitsipas packing
Scrolling on his phone as he walked into a post-match press conference, the world No.42 exhaled as he sank into a chair, having caused the first big upset of the tournament.
“I feel great about where I'm at. I'm 40 [42 – ed.] in the world at 20 years old. I can't complain. I've put a lot of work in since I was very, very young. Obviously, I want to be ranked higher, but I'm super happy with where I'm at right now,” he says.
Michelsen credits another year of experience and an improved serve and forehand for his 7-5 6-3 2-6 6-4 win over Tsitsipas, which Australian James McCabe will surely take note of as he prepares for their next match at Melbourne Park.
However, Michelsen says mentality, more than anything, aided his win.
“Sometimes I lose my head when I play, so yeah, it's definitely not the easiest thing in the world. As a kid, I would throw my hat, throw my racquet. I would get pretty upset often. It's just kind of in my nature, but I'm working on it,” he said.
“I'm my own mental coach. No mental coach for me.
“I stayed really composed today, but I don't do that every time, unfortunately. I'm working to get there. Sometimes I just sit in my room, and I meditate sometimes and tell myself, ‘Stay calm under pressure.’ I did that really well today.”
The self-confessed “loner”, who reached the third round of the AO last season, entertains a thought that Melbourne could be a lucky spot for him. But the truth is he did his homework on Tsitsipas, who he beat in Tokyo last year, and maintained his composure.
It left his despondent rival to ponder how the sport is evolving, saying matches have become more physical since he first rose to prominence. But Michelsen insists the first round, for him, was about brain, not brawn.
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“I've definitely lost a lot of matches not because I was playing bad, [but] because I was just bad mentally,” Michelsen said.
“I would miss one or two shots, and then I would lose my crap for a little while and then, boom, the match is over like that. These guys aren't going to give you anything out here.
“You have to be mentally on your game at all times. Last year, I probably lost 10 matches that I should have won straight because of the brain.”