Close your eyes in the company of Alex De Minaur and you might think you were in the presence of a seasoned veteran, someone who had seen it all and done most of it. Only when you open them again would you remember you were talking to an 18-year-old, albeit one already wise beyond his years.
This time last year, De Minaur was ranked 186 and thrilled to receive a wildcard into the US Open main draw, recognition of his surge from 350 at the start of 2017. Twelve months on, the Australian is inside the top 50, at No 45, putting him straight into the main draw. And on Tuesday, he showed how far he has come with a 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 demolition of Taro Daniel, the world No 64 from Japan.
Having reached the third round at Wimbledon last month, De Minaur reached his second career ATP Tour final in Washington, seven months after making his first final, in his birthplace of Sydney at the start of the year. His progress has been swift but steady, his game based on blistering speed around the court, consistency and a will to win reminiscent of Lleyton Hewitt, who just happens to be his mentor.
“It’s been an incredible journey,” De Minaur said, of his progress. “I’m really proud of where I am right now but there is still a long way to go, I’m still pushing myself every day to get better and I’m looking forward to what’s ahead.
“I’m very proud…of where I am with my game and how I’m feeling off the court as well, so that’s something really important. Now it’s about building on that and keeping it going and trying to get that momentum going and keep playing some great tennis.”
De Minaur turned down a wildcard into this month’s Toronto Masters because he felt it important to take care of his health. “I’m still getting used to the level and the intensity of being on Tour so I have to be very careful with my body, I don’t really want to break down and have to take more time off than I need to,” he said. “I thought it was a smarter move to take those two weeks off in Spain, be able to refresh and be ready for the tournament that’s really important, here in New York.”
Every step of the way he has taken things in his stride, listening to those around him, especially Hewitt and it’s a mark of his confidence and self-belief that nothing seems to faze him. Well, almost nothing. The only thing that has left him a bit frazzled, it seems, is the experience of playing Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon last month, when he was blitzed in the third round.
“It was a surreal experience,” he said. “Words can’t really describe it. You often get told what to expect and what to do in these situations but you’ve got to live it for yourself to actually realise the magnitude of the occasion. It was incredible. I have learned from that, I had to experience that for myself, I believe next time round I’ll be used to it and hopefully it will be different.”
De Minaur said he found himself looking over the net at Nadal instead of concentrating on his own tennis. “It was my first time playing against a top three, top four opponent and I wasn’t used to it,” he said. “I think it was a combination of everything, even that walk onto Centre Court, it was something special. It still gives me goose bumps to this day, it’s something you really see on TV when you’re growing up and then you’re actually the player walking on court, arriving on Centre Court, with so many people out there supporting, so loud. It was just an incredible experience. I really enjoyed it even though the result wasn’t as I wanted, it was a great experience.”
Though De Minaur has been working with his coach, Adolfo Gutierrez, in Alicante, Spain, for more than eight years, the presence of Hewitt courtside and behind the scenes is evidently helping his progress. Former world No 1 Hewitt, who won the US Open in 2001, has been advising De Minaur in many ways, not least how to feed off the New York crowd, something that might come in handy when he plays the American Frances Tiafoe, in round two on Thursday.
“The main thing he’s told me really is just to keep my energy going and that intensity,” De Minaur said.
