MELBOURNE, Australia — After monitoring down a ball he had completely no proper getting his racket on and flicking a backhand cross-court winner previous the outstretched left arm of Francisco Cerundolo to safe an all-important fourth set break of serve, a steely-faced Alex de Minaur started slapping his thighs in wild celebration. It was his personal model of LeBron James’ iconic “Silencer” transfer.
“The legs, they’re again,” de Minaur later declared in his on-court interview, after serving out his third-round Australian Open match and reserving his place within the Spherical of 16. “It has been an extended six months, however geez it feels good.”
It was a reference to final 12 months’s most premature damage. De Minaur had sustained a hip pressure on match level of his fourth-round Wimbledon conflict towards Frenchman Arthur Fils. The Australian would win the match however in the end be pressured to painfully withdraw from his quarterfinal towards 24-time main champion Novak Djokovic two days later.
Saturday’s match towards Cerundolo at Rod Laver Area was removed from excellent. De Minaur needed to overcome a one-set deficit and the serving “yips” — he struck 9 double faults — to advance to the fourth spherical of his house Grand Slam. However his efficiency did spotlight two key points of his recreation. First, his unequalled motion across the courtroom. These legs most undoubtedly are again. And second, his inspiring resilience.
“I discovered a means. That is all I must do in a lot of these moments … discover a approach to get by way of the primary week,” stated a relieved de Minaur. “Earlier than I stroll on the courtroom I make a pact with myself that I’ll compete till the final level, it doesn’t matter what. I might slightly win ugly any day than lose fairly, proper?”
In some ways it feels as if we have seen this de Minaur film earlier than. You already know, the one by which he arrives at Melbourne Park in early January to a frenzy of hype and expectation, navigates by way of the opening rounds to bolster stated expectation, then crashes out of the event simply when issues had begun heating up. The consequence? A nation left questioning if a deep run for the likeable, down-to-earth native will ever materialize.
In every of the final three years, de Minaur has been knocked out of the event on the fourth-round stage. In 2022, he fell to then eleventh seed, now world No. 1, Jannik Sinner in straight units. In 2023, it was one other brutal straight set defeat, this time to Djokovic. Final 12 months, he scraped and clawed for over 4 hours solely to return up agonizingly brief towards fifth-seed Andrey Rublev.
However maybe in 2025 an alternate ending awaits de Minaur.
“There may be at all times going to be numerous exterior noise, [but] we have sort of this tunnel imaginative and prescient going into a lot of these tournaments. Concentrate on our personal little bubble,” a bullish but measured de Minaur instructed reporters earlier than the Australian Open received underway. “It’s tennis on the finish of the day. If it was strictly based mostly on rankings, it might be fairly a boring sport. We have seen alternatives come up … a number of doorways opening up — something can occur at this stage.”
De Minaur is seeded a career-best eighth at Melbourne Park this 12 months, which is considerably of a double-edged sword. On one hand, he was assured to not face one other high 18-ranked opponent till a minimum of the fourth spherical, however on the similar time, that solely magnifies the expectation that he needs to be progressing deep into the event. Then got here 2021 Australian Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas’ shock first-round loss to unseeded American Alex Michelsen, opening up his quarter of the draw much more.
However the true motive for de Minaur optimism is that the model of him we’re witnessing in 2025 is way superior to those which have repeatedly faltered within the Spherical of 16, his effort towards Cerundolo however. After his Australian Open heartbreak 12 months in the past, de Minaur claimed titles in Acapulco and ‘s-Hertogenbosch, reached quarterfinals within the remaining three majors of the 12 months, and, consequently, broke into the ATP’s high 10. It was his most profitable marketing campaign, regardless of coping with that hip damage post-Wimbledon and lacking out on the Olympic Video games in Paris.
“Over the past couple years, I really feel like I’ve develop into a greater model of myself,” stated de Minaur. “Each time I come right here to the Australian Open, I really feel like I am a greater model of what I used to be the 12 months earlier than. I’ve learnt a lot. I am enjoying with much more confidence. I am doing all the suitable issues.
“I have been on this place for some time now. It hasn’t actually modified what I must do as a tennis participant, proper? My job is to stroll on courtroom and do my greatest to win tennis matches, primarily. As Australian tennis gamers, we spend the vast majority of the 12 months abroad. To get the prospect and alternative to begin the 12 months right here at house in the summertime, it simply means the world.”
Already this event, de Minaur has crushed Dutchman Botic Van De Zandschulp — the person who famously upset world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz ultimately 12 months’s US Open — in his opening match. Then he brushed apart American Tristan Boyer in straight units. On Saturday towards Cerundolo, de Minaur proved he can nonetheless come out on high regardless of performing nicely beneath his greatest for giant stretches of the match.
“Terrific enchancment,” stated 10-time Australian Open champion Djokovic, when requested to explain de Minaur’s development. “Everyone knows how good he’s defending, however his offense has improved quite a bit. His courtroom positioning has improved. You already know, it isn’t a shock that he ended up high 10 final season in his greatest season but. So I feel we will see nonetheless nice issues from Alex on this event. I’ve watched him play a couple of matches, and the extent is nice. He is received the gang behind him. He is enjoying rather well.”
It is Michelsen who de Minaur will subsequent should navigate. The pair have performed twice and break up the wins, although de Minaur did triumph of their solely Grand Slam assembly (French Open, 2024). If he is ready to cross that take a look at, a possible quarterfinal showdown with reigning champion Sinner awaits.
“As tennis gamers, as Aussie tennis gamers, we need to do all the pieces we will to play a few of our greatest tennis,” stated de Minaur. “I’ll do my greatest to hopefully play numerous matches right here, win numerous matches. Yeah, do Australia proud.”
