Lleyton Hewitt has anointed Alex de Minaur as “absolutely” the man to wipe him from a page in the Australian Open history books as hype for the big home hope hits fever pitch.
De Minaur nobly bowed to an hysterical young fan who pleaded with the world No.9 to hand over one of his signature shoes after showing off his phenomenal speed during a blazing twin-win night out at the United Cup on Wednesday.
His heroics in piloting Australia to a 2-1 victory over Great Britain weren’t quite enough for the tournament hosts to make the quarter-finals.
But straight-sets singles and mixed doubles victories to round out an undefeated Cup campaign were sufficient to deliver de Minaur with the intoxicating feeling that he is finally back to his high-octane, free-wheeling best.
“This was the old me. I’ve got my legs back, everybody. I’m back,” he declared.
That could spell trouble for his rivals this summer after de Minaur last year became the first Australian since Hewitt to reach three successive grand slam quarter-finals, despite being dogged by a crippling hip injury suffered at Wimbledon.
“I struggled with an injury that sidelined me and took away one of my biggest assets, which was my movement and it took me a very long time to to get back,” de Minaur said.
“It had been a long time since I felt my feet moving as quickly as they did today, and doing all of that without pain was a really good feeling.
“Gave me some goosebumps because it felt good to finally be back at that level.”
Twenty years on from his own storied – and courageous – run to the AO final, Hewitt has seen enough from his front-row vantage point as Australia’s United Cup captain to back the “Speed Demon” to follow in his footsteps.
“Absolutely,” he told AAP.
“I’m just so happy for Alex to be back playing like he wants to play again.
“Only probably his close-knit team know exactly what he’s been dealing with and how frustrating that’s been, and he still kept showing up and giving 100 per cent and not making excuses.
“So, for me, the last week or so that he’s been here in training and doing the hard work, it’s been great to see him being able to enjoy that pain-free and moving the way that he wants to.
“The court and everything else starts coming together.
“And, like he always says, it’s about embracing this month of the year and enjoying the moments.”
No home player has made the Australian Open men’s final since Hewitt in 2005, when the former world No.1 famously overcame his own hip injury to defeat James Blake, Juan Ignacio Chela, Rafael Nadal, David Nalbandian and Andy Roddick in a succession of epic encounters to reach his “Holy Grail”.
Hewitt ultimately lost, from one set all and 4-1 up in the third, to an inspired Marat Safin in a classic title decider.
But memories of the baseline warrior slapping his hips and screaming “no pain, no pain” during a changeover in his fourth-round win over Nadal remain etched in Open folklore.
Two decades on and Hewitt is imploring de Minaur, his trusted Davis Cup spearhead who idolises the South Australian skipper, to also seize the moment.
“When you do end up being a washed up old man, these are the moments you miss playing in front of your home crowd like this,” Hewitt said.
“So Alex has got as good a shot as anyone of obviously going deep at the Australian Open.
“But first things first, you’ve got to get there and you take care of business and hopefully find a way to navigate your way into the second week of the slam, and then anything can happen.”
