
Alex de Minaur has hit new heights in the past year. Last season he reached the quarter-finals at three of the four majors, cracked the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings and qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.
This week, the 25-year-old arrives at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam off the back of a first quarter-final appearance on home soil at the Australian Open.
“I do feel like I've taken big steps in the right direction in the last year,” De Minaur told ATPTour.com in Rotterdam. “I've improved as a player. I think showing the consistency of making the quarters in the last four Slams is something that I don't take lightly by any means. And I think it's a great platform to build on. I want more.
“Last year, a lot of stuff happened, I was injured for a lot of the year and I still managed to achieve some great results, but the goal this year is to stay healthy and have that same trajectory. And hopefully that's going to take me to bigger and better things and I don't think I've hit my ceiling just yet. It's exciting, and I'm looking forward to what this year has to offer.”
De Minaur fever was alive during last month’s Australian Open. The Australian No. 1 had his face on billboards in the city, with host broadcaster Channel 9 regularly discussing the 25-year-old’s route to the final. De Minaur also played all five of his matches on Rod Laver Arena, the major's prime show court. It was the first time this had happened at the major.
De Minaur thrived in the spotlight but recognised the heightened mental pressure it entailed.
“It's funny the change. Two years ago, I was No. 11 or 12. Then I just moved up one spot, two spots and it makes such a big difference. In terms of eyeballs, the media, the pressures, the expectation, all of that,” De Minaur explained. “But it definitely has changed over the years and I definitely do feel the love in Australia.
“I mean, ultimately, the spotlight is there, right? It's the start of the season, it's your home slam. And, there's a lot of things that come with it. As a player, there's nothing I want to do more than to play well in Australia, and play well in front of my home fans, my family, and friends.
“There's a lot of good parts to it. There's a lot of eyeballs. It's exciting playing on Rod Laver Arena in front of packed crowds with everyone supporting you. But of course, it kind of means that a lot of people are expecting you to win as well.”
After a month in the spotlight, De Minaur will now prepare for calmer times with the Tour moving away from Australia for the remainder of the season.
The World No. 8 will spend a large period away from family and friends but he does have fiancé and WTA star Katie Boulter close by. De Minaur proposed to Boulter during the off-season and revealed the Brit helps him feel settled when he is on the road.
“It definitely does help the weeks that I'm with Katie. It makes it a lot easier to be so far away from home. They are long stints,” De Minaur said. “I mean, a lot of time on the road. For me, it's quite important to try to do stuff wherever we are. It is important to try and go out for dinners, go out for coffees, try to make life as normal as you can. And enjoy the time with the people you have.
“Whether it's friends, whether it's players, your own team. For me that's the best way to make time go quicker in these long stints. Because ultimately there's the tennis side of things, it's always going to be intense and stressful and a lot of focus needed for that, but as soon as you step off the court, try to immerse yourself in the different cities, the different activities, restaurants, coffees, and just live as much of a normal life as you can.”
De Minaur is the third seed in Rotterdam this week. The No. 8 player in the PIF ATP Rankings advanced to the title match at the indoor hard-court ATP 500 event last season and begins this year’s campaign against 2017 finalist David Goffin, who trails De Minaur 0-5 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.