Alex de Minaur is calling on the home crowd to make some noise as he celebrates his latest victory against Spanish prodigy Carlos Alcaraz before the Australian Open.
A near-capacity crowd almost raised the roof at Rod Laver Arena while celebrating De Minaur’s electrifying exhibition win over the world No 2 and reigning Wimbledon champion on Wednesday night.
Although De Minaur will not earn any ranking points for his 6-4, 5-7, 10-3 victory in a suspenseful match tiebreaker, Australia’s promising player has gained a significant amount of confidence by defeating another one of the sport’s top players.
“I am incredibly pleased,” De Minaur expressed, after winning against 10-time Melbourne Park champion Novak Djokovic and world No.6 Alexander Zverev last week and now defeating Alcaraz, the Open’s second seed, for the first time.
“I am feeling confident with my level as I enter Melbourne. My performance in 2024 has been excellent and I hope to maintain it.”
In the past year, De Minaur has achieved nine victories against top-10 opponents. As he prepares for the first grand slam of the season this Sunday, he is filled with ambitious dreams.
“I came across a great quote: ‘What would your aspirations be if you were certain you wouldn’t fail?’ That has become my motto,” the 24-year-old shared.
“I am continuously challenging myself and hopefully there are no limits to what I can achieve.”
The crowd favorite and the first Australian since his role model Lleyton Hewitt in 2006 to reach the world’s top 10, is counting on the support of his home fans to boost his performance at the Open, just like they did for his current Davis Cup captain in the 2005 final in Melbourne.
“I want to feel all the energy, so the louder the better,” he stated. “I am always giving my best for you all, so let’s bring on the noise.”
The charity event on Wednesday evening displayed fierce competition between the two opponents, evident through their fist-pumping, cursing, and intense playing. It was clear that neither player was willing to accept defeat.
After losing the first set and falling behind 4-1, Alcaraz may have considered ending the match early due to it being the first one of the summer.
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He stepped up his performance to score two breaks against De Minaur, winning the second set and leading to a match tiebreaker.
Even though De Minaur faced the disappointment of losing a match point in the second set, he didn’t give up easily.
Instead, he retaliated and secured the win with a point of the match using a curved top-spin lob that Alcaraz was barely able to touch.
Even though he lost, 20-year-old Alcaraz stated that the exhibition match gave him a great opportunity to start his Open campaign on Sunday.
He expressed that there is no better method for warming up or preparing than playing against Alex in this particular match.
“I was on track, so I believe I am preparing myself.”
Source: theguardian.com
