Alex de Minaur says a challenging 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic is “fuelling the hunger” for his bid to climb the rankings this year and achieve his best finish at a major.
Key points:
- De Minaur says he struggled while in lockdown at his Spanish base last year
- He achieved his best result at a major in 2020 by making the US Open quarter-finals
- The 21-year-old won an ATP Tour tournament in Antalya earlier this month
De Minaur, Australia’s top-ranked men’s player, made a lightning start to the new season earlier this month when he won the fourth ATP Tour title of his career in Turkey.
The world number 23 entered the 2021 season off the back of his best showing at a major, a quarter-final appearance at the US Open in New York.
But de Minaur said his run to the last eight at the US Open could not make up for the frustration he experienced while being alone in lockdown at his Spanish base for months on end as coronavirus wrought havoc.
“2020 was a tough year. Obviously I had my best result at a Slam (Grand Slam tournament) but it doesn’t feel like my best achievement,” de Minaur said.
“It was still a dark time. I wasn’t feeling great. It was just mentally — I wouldn’t say — my best performance.
“I ended up putting a couple of matches together and I had my best result. It’s still something to be proud of but still 2020 as a whole, I would say, I had a lot of expectations for it and … it’s just fuelling the hunger for 2021, to make it even better.”
De Minaur has one more week in quarantine in Melbourne as he prepares for the Australian Open. He is able to leave his hotel room only to train.
The 21-year-old said he could not wait to get his “freedom back”.
“I’m sure that will feel amazing,” de Minaur said.
“I’ve got my goal in my head of where I want to be when 2021 finishes up, but it’s a goal that I don’t like to say out loud.
“It’s a goal that me and my team had and this is a strong start. Realistically I want to keep pushing myself up the rankings, keep putting myself at the end of weeks and keep pushing these top guys.
De Minaur, who is the second-youngest player in the top 25 of the men’s rankings, said he spent much of the extended preseason working on his body and mind.
“I don’t want just to be having a good result every now and then,” he said.
“I want to be bringing my level every single week.”
De Minaur missed last year’s Australian Open with an abdominal tear, an injury he picked up while helping Australia reach the ATP Cup semi-finals.
He will again spearhead Lleyton Hewitt’s line-up next week in Melbourne before returning for another tilt at his home major.
“Hopefully I can be playing my best tennis at the ATP Cup and the Aussie Open,” de Minaur said.
AAP/ABC
