“I’m ready for the competition”: Alex De Minaur leads Australia’s hopes once again at the Aussie Open

Alex de Minaur spoke to the media ahead of his debut at the Australian Open, where he will once again be the main local hope, amid the continued lack of Australian champions at the tournament for decades.

The dominance of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at the event left little room for Australians to achieve the feat, as did other players who repeatedly reached finals, such as Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal, among others. The last Australian finalist at the tournament was Lleyton Hewitt back in 2005, when he fell to Russia’s Marat Safin — now the coach of Andrey Rublev.

To find the last Australian champion, one has to go all the way back to 1976, when Mark Edmondson defeated John Newcombe in an all-Australian final. Since then, local players have suffered five defeats in the final of the tournament.

As in recent years, De Minaur arrives as the Australian No. 1 and the country’s leading hope. While few would consider him a firm contender to surpass Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the current World No. 7 has shown through consistency that he can go deep at the majors — reaching the quarter-finals in five of his last seven Grand Slam appearances — and will look to take a step forward this time by making the most of home advantage.

It was a difficult draw for the Australian, who will face former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini in the first round. “Yeah, I mean, ultimately every single player in the draw is extremely tough. I knew going in that there were going to be many unseeded players who would be really tough match-ups,” he said. “It’s going to be a battle, but I’m looking forward to it. It basically just means that I’m going to have to be firing from the word go. We’ve had some good matches in the past, so yeah, hopefully I’ll be ready for it.”

“I’ve been here now 10 years, I’ve had the same locker since the first day I’ve been here, so all these things just make it a whole lot easier,” he added. “Competitive-wise, I’m feeling really good. I’m hitting the ball great, physically I’m feeling really good, so I’m excited to get started. It’s by no means going to be easy, and I’m ready for the competition.”

De Minaur also referred to the legacy he hopes to leave as an Australian player for future generations. “Ultimately, I’m in a position now where I have to remind myself that I was that little kid. I was that kid growing up, looking up to players and athletes,” he said. “I’ve got to set a standard and hopefully inspire the next generation the same way I was inspired.#

#Whether it’s through Weet-Bix kids, Hot Shots, or my foundation, there’s a constant focus on what that next generation looks like. The kids are the future, so if I can have a positive impact on their lives, I’ll be very happy with that.”