Proud patriot Alex de Minaur is pledging to “do one for Australia” when his status as an honorary Brit is temporarily suspended for his US Open Ashes battle with English No.1 Jack Draper.
De Minaur and Draper will clash for a coveted semi-final spot at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday (4am Thursday AEST) and the Australian is acutely aware his romance with British women’s star Katie Boulter will count for little this time around.
De Minaur relished the British embracing him at Wimbledon after all the home hopes were eliminated, saying “Oh, 100 per cent I’ll take all the support I can get. I can be the honorary Brit here.”
But seven weeks on and de Minaur stands between Draper and Britain having their first US Open semi-finalist since former world No.1 Andy Murray won the title in 2012.
“Look, I’ve played plenty of Brits. It’s never easy. I feel a little bit of hostility in their country at the moment,” de Minaur said.
“But again, these are the types of matches I want to be playing. I worked so hard to put myself in this position throughout the years.
“So many hours off the court, on the court, working on little things, because these are the matches I want to be playing – tail end of slams, opportunities, quarter-finals.
“Yeah, I’m excited for the battle … I mean, do one for Australia, do one for myself as well.”
On paper, the 10th-seeded de Minaur, contesting his third straight grand slam quarter-final of the year, should beat the 25th-ranked Draper.
He’s beaten Draper in all three previous encounters between the two.
But de Minaur knows matches aren’t won on paper, especially against an inspired opponent who has not dropped a set en route to the last eight and who has conceded just 26 games in four matches.
“The biggest thing that we need to understand is that there is nothing sure in tennis,” de Minaur said.
“Doesn’t matter how many times you’ve played someone. It doesn’t mean much.
“So playing Jack, he’s coming off his best year by far. He’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s got some very big weapons; his serve, backhand, and forehand at times.
“So it’s always tough facing someone like him, especially a leftie.
“I have had some success in the past. I’m going to try and draw on that, on what I was able to do in those types of matches.
“And it’s the quarter-finals of a slam. I’m going to go out there and give it my all and compete, and these matches are there to be won. Being passive is not going to get the job done.”
After arriving in New York underdone and not even sure if he could play, having been sidelined since withdrawing from a scheduled Wimbledon blockbuster quarter-final with Novak Djokovic, de Minaur is almost pinching himself to be where he is now.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” he said.
“The last seven, eight weeks, I’ve dealt with a lot of emotions, a lot of experiences that have taken a big chunk of my energy and resources.
“Coming in, I didn’t have too many expectations. The hip wasn’t close to 100 per cent. It wasn’t feeling amazing. I just was going to go out there and see what I was able to do.
“Slowly it’s been feeling better and better each day. So all of a sudden, everything has happened with the draws, a lot of upsets, and you’re staring at this opportunity.
“In a way, it’s been a blessing in disguise because I haven’t put too much pressure on myself because I know how I felt with my hip.
“But at the same time, every day I felt better and better. So it’s hopefully I’m peaking for the right moment”.
The winner will face either world No.1 and reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner or fifth-seeded 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals on Friday (Saturday AEST).
