As his dazzling compatriot Nick Kyrgios is still out with an injury, Alex de Minaur, who has spent much of his career working in the shadow of Kyrgios, is now stealing the show in Australia.
In addition to being the 24-year-biggest old’s career victory, De Minaur’s victory in the Mexico Open in Acapulco over the weekend also ensured that he has supplanted Kyrgios as the top Australian player with his rise to number 18.
De Minaur has built an increasingly outstanding resume despite not having any lethal weapons at his disposal through gut-busting running, perseverance, and a never-say-die mentality.
As De Minaur rallied from a set down to win the ATP 500 tournament championship with a score of 3-6 6-4 6-1, American Tommy Paul learned that sometimes that’s enough.
It has been gradual, like everything else in my career, according to De Minaur.
Despite the fact that I may not always play amazing tennis, I am confident that I will persevere.
“I love competing, therefore I’m extremely delighted with it. I’ve got a whole lot of heart in this small body of mine.”
He overcame rising teenage talent from Denmark Holger Rune in the semi-final, a match that ended just before three in the morning, for his second victory from a set down.
In addition, Kyrgios was the only other Australian to have won an ATP 500 title in the previous 15 years, making him a unique achievement.
De Minaur’s straight sets loss to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open fourth round, a match that didn’t live up to its prime-time billing, demonstrated that there is still some distance between him and the greatest.
But with Kyrgios battling a knee ailment, De Minaur has momentum in his ascent towards the top 10 heading into the ATP 1,000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.
I know how hard it was to get here, so it’s nice to see the results, he added.
Reported by Reuters
