Alex de Minaur is Australia’s biggest hope coming into the start of the 2025 Australian Open, but can he achieve a career-first?
The 25-year-old vows to end a 49-year drought and become the first Aussie man since Mark Edmondson in 1976 to win the Open. He currently sits at No.8 in the ATP rankings and is the same seed at this year's Australian Open after a career-best season last year.
Having played brilliantly; earning two titles, three consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals and amassing a career-high world No.6 ranking at one point in 2024, de Minaur seems closer than ever to getting that elusive first Slam.
But 'The Demon' isn’t allowing the pressure of the hopes and expectations of the nation to sway his focus.
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When asked how he handles the pressure and spotlight of playing a Grand Slam at home as the No.1 Aussie male, de Minaur talked about how he deals with all the added noise.
"I've been in this position for a while now. Over the years, of course, there's a little bit more chatter or more hype behind me," he said.
"It hasn't really changed what I need to do as a tennis player."
In what springs as a shock, de Minaur's worst Grand Slam in terms of results is Melbourne Park, reaching three consecutive round of 16 clashes without appearing in the quarter-finals.
The Aussie No.1 reiterates that his job doesn’t change at home regardless of the expectations surrounding him. He counts on his team to help him hone in and keep a "tunnel vision" demeanour that allows him to focus on the task at hand.
"There's always going to be a lot of outside noise, but I'm very fortunate that I have a great team around me that we can kind of focus on our own little bubble," de Minaur said.
"We've got kind of this tunnel vision going into these types of tournaments, Slams."
De Minaur faces Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in the first-round as he starts his Australian Open campaign.
He expressed that he aims to make his country proud with his performance, or what he expects, performances.
"I'm going to do my best to hopefully play a lot of matches here, win a lot of matches, do Australia proud," the Aussie hopeful proclaimed.
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