Proud patriot Alex de Minaur has vowed to ‘do something for Australia’ after his honorary Briton status was temporarily suspended ahead of his US Open Ashes clash with England’s No.1 Jack Draper.
De Minaur and Draper will battle it out for a coveted semi-final spot in Flushing Meadows on Wednesday (4am AEST Thursday), with the Australian well aware that his romance with British star Katie Boulter will mean little this time around.
De Minaur enjoyed the British embrace at Wimbledon after all home chances had been taken away, saying: ‘Oh, I’ll take 100 per cent all the support I can get. I can be the honorary Briton here.’
But seven weeks later, De Minaur still stands between Draper and Britain, who have reached the US Open semi-finals for the first time since former world No. 1 Andy Murray won the title in 2012.
“Look, I’ve played a lot of Brits. It’s never easy. I feel a bit of hostility in their country at the moment,” de Minaur said.
“But again, these are the types of games I want to play. I’ve worked so hard to get myself into this position over the years.
‘So many hours off the court, on the court, working on little things, because these are the matches I want to play – the end of Grand Slams, chances, quarter-finals.
‘Yeah, I’m looking forward to the fight… I mean, I want to do one for Australia, and one for myself as well.’
Australian tennis star Alex de Minaur says he feels some hostility from British fans
De Minaur (pictured with his English partner Katie Boulter) will next play against Jack Draper from Great Britain in the quarter-finals
On paper, 10th-seeded De Minaur, who is reaching the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the third time in a row this year, should beat 25th-seeded Draper.
He has defeated Draper in all three previous meetings between the two.
But De Minaur knows that matches are not won on paper, especially against an inspired opponent who has not lost a single set en route to the last eight and who has conceded just 26 games in four matches.
“The most important thing we have to understand is that nothing is certain in tennis,” De Minaur said.
‘It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve played someone. It doesn’t mean much.
“So when you play Jack, he’s coming off his best year yet. He’s playing with a lot of confidence. He’s got some really big weapons; his serve, his backhand and sometimes his forehand.
‘It’s always difficult to play against someone like him, especially when he’s left-handed.
‘I’ve had some success in the past. I’m going to try to build on that, on what I’ve been able to do in those types of matches.
De Minaur’s excellent form comes after a heartbreaking withdrawal from Wimbledon in July
“And it’s the quarterfinals of a slam. I’m going to go all out and fight, and these matches are to be won. Being passive is not going to get the job done.”
Arriving in New York unprepared and not even sure he would be able to play, having withdrawn from a scheduled Wimbledon quarter-final with Novak Djokovic, De Minaur is almost pinching himself to be where he is now.
“It was a whirlwind,” he said.
‘The last seven, eight weeks I have been dealing with a lot of emotions and experiences that have consumed a lot of my energy and resources.
“When I came in, I didn’t have too many expectations. The hip wasn’t anywhere near 100 percent. It didn’t feel great. I was just going to go out there and see what I could do.
‘Slowly it feels better and better every day. So all of a sudden everything has happened with the draws, a lot of upsets, and you’re staring at this opportunity.
‘It’s actually been a blessing because I haven’t put too much pressure on myself because I know how I felt with my hip.
“But at the same time I felt better and better every day. So hopefully I peak at the right time.”
The winner will face either world number one and reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner or fifth-seeded 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals on Friday (Saturday AEST).