‘Here to prove a lot of people wrong’: Hometown hero De Minaur shapes as AO dark horse

Alex de Minaur has sounded the warning bell to the rest of the 2024 Australian Open Men’s draw: he is truly a title dark horse and cannot be underestimated in Melbourne as he looks to become the first Aussie man since Mark Edmondson in 1976 to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.

If there was any better way to emphasise that point—besides going out and winning the whole damn thing—then the Demon has done it, beating no.1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4 in the United Cup.

The teams competition victory, staged in Perth on Wednesday, is the 24-year-old’s best win yet. While de Minaur has slowly but surely been building himself as a true competitor in the tennis world, the no.12 had not yet made any grand announcement when it comes to what he can do out on the court against the very best.

That is, until this week of course. It’s a moment he’s going to savour for a long time.

“[This win is] extremely special. Novak is an unbelievable competitor, what he’s done for the sport is pretty special. So it feels surreal, it feels amazing. I’m happy to do it here in Australia,” de Minaur said after the two-set victory.

Incredibly, de Minaur managed the surprise United Cup singles win while only losing a single point on his first serve throughout 20 games—but he warns the Aussie fandom not to get ahead of itself yet, especially considering Djokovic came into the match managing a wrist injury he picked up while training the day before.

“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves,” de Minaur said. “The level is there but five sets is a different beast. I’m happy with where my level is, where I am mentally, and the mindset I’ve got going in.”

Whether he’s playing it down or not, it’s still a huge sign of progress for the 24-year-old, which he did eventually concede to eager reporters. Last time the two played, de Minaur said he felt “embarrassed” to be playing on the court and struggled to win any games against the 10-time Australian Open champion. “It’s been a nice little change-up from one year ago,” the Demon then added. “It’s not easy to walk back out on court after you’ve been thrashed last time.”

“Today was my day, I’m happy to get the win. This one definitely means a lot. [My drive] comes from a lot of people not believing in me. I’m just here to prove a lot of people wrong, try to keep on getting better.

“Ultimately, I’m never going to be the biggest or the strongest guy, so I’ve got to adapt, I’ve got to show that I’ve got variety in my game, and I’ve got different styles of playing tennis.”

The AO 2024 draw will be held on January 11. De Minaur is seeded 12th.