De Minaur: The softly-spoken Aussie who became a Top 10 giant killer

Daniil Medvedev may not have realised it at the time, but he has helped turn Alex de Minaur into a Top 10 giant killer during the 2023 season. The Australian credits a hard-fought triumph over the 2021 US Open Champion at the Paris Masters last October for enabling him to take a massive step forward in his career.

Prior to their meeting in Bercy on October 31, the Spain-based de Minaur had managed to win just seven of the 36 matches he had played against rivals ranked inside the top 10. When Medvedev, who won his first four outings against de Minaur, levelled that match and seized a service break at the start of the deciding set, a familiar pattern looked in play. 

Instead, de Minaur’s grit kicked in. And the 24-year-old believes the 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 victory has changed the course of his career. “I think ultimately believing it is one thing, but until you actually achieve it, it just isn’t as easy to believe,” de Minaur told Tennis Majors in New York.

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“So you kind of always have to break through that barrier. And once you finally get it done, then you start seeing things differently. Now I have got to a point where I see those matches as a 50-50 chance of winning, right? Before I would try to believe that, but probably when I stepped out on the court, deep down I wasn’t playing like that. But now it’s where I’m at. That’s the level that I’m showing. And I’m looking forward to those types of matches.”

ANOTHER STEP FORWARD

In the ten months since his breakthrough against Medvedev, de Minaur has beaten Holger Rune twice and counts among his top 10 wins victories over Rafael Nadal, Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, and a second triumph over Medvedev.

He defeated Fritz and Medvedev, who he will play on Monday in New York for a spot in a US Open quarter-final, in successive matches in Toronto in early August. The clash against Medvedev, the No 3 seed in New York, was a highly competitive quarter-final clinched by the Australian (7-6 (7), 7-5).

Jannik Sinner proved too strong in the final but the Sydney-raised right-hander said the confidence gleaned from the successful week in Canada bolstered his belief.

“It was a great breakthrough week for me,” he said. “It was one that I have been waiting for for a while and it has been great to be finally able to achieve that. I have put myself in a strong direction moving forward and I am looking forward to a strong end to the year.”

INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENT

De Minaur was diminutive when he first announced himself as a player to watch by winning a match on his Australian Open debut in 2017 as a 17-year-old.

His greatest strength has always been his speed and competitiveness. He has the busiest feet in tennis and his court coverage is superb. But the Australian, who won his seventh ATP Tour title in Acapulco this year, has worked assiduously to strengthen his body and also his mind.

He still concedes weight to many rivals, but his serve packs a greater punch and there is more venom to his groundstrokes, particularly on hard court. At different stages, he has worked with a sports psychologist and said he had never felt a greater clarity of thought on the court than over the last few months on tour.

“I’m a completely different person and player (to when I started),” he said. “My whole career has been about improving every day. And I’ve never been one to take massive steps. Getting better every day has all been a part of the process.” 

BRINGING AUSSIES ALONG FOR THE RIDE

It is 21 years since Lleyton Hewitt claimed the last grand slam won by an Australian man at Wimbledon in 2002. The sideline Nick Kyrgios is the nation’s most recent finalist, having fallen to Novak Djokovic in four sets at the All England Club last year.

But when Rinky Hijikata, who reached the last 16 at the US Open, breaks into the top 100 next Monday, there will be nine Australians ranked inside three figures. Kyrgios, too, has a protected ranking he can trigger when he regains his fitness after a difficult year.

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Talk to the Australians inside the top 100 and they make clear the leadership and professionalism of de Minaur is inspiring them to greater heights.

Aleks Vukic, who trains alongside the start when he is in Sydney and broke into the top 50 after reaching a final in Atlanta in July, said de Minaur helped his compatriots get the most out of themselves. Thanasi Kokkinakis concurred, saying de Minaur “has been the backbone of our Davis Cup team” who gives his all and is “never going down without a fight”.

“He’s always there hanging in and he really really sets an example for the guys,” he said. “Alex is not only the leader, but I think he’s a good glue guy around the team as well.”

THE NEXT FRONTIER

De Minaur, who peaked at a ranking of No 12 in August and sits 11th in the ATP Tour Race for Turin this year, has another big step to take in his career.

The next challenge for the Australian, who reached a US Open quarter-final in 2020, is to consistently deliver big wins in grand slam tournaments as well as on the ATP Tour. He is yet to win a set in his two outings against top 10 players at Major level, having lost to Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic in the fourth round at the past two Australian Opens.

The Australian is hopeful he can translate his strong recent form over Medvedev into what would be his biggest win in a grand slam tournament on Monday.

“He’s an extreme kind of counter-puncher, a defensive specialist who finds ways to bait opponents into playing the game style he wants,” de Minaur said. “So he’s an extremely good tactician and you know whenever you play him you have got to be ready for an absolute chess battle.”

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