De Minaur ready to join tennis elite

Alex de Minaur has dismissed concerns that a four-day break at Wimbledon could have left him underprepared for a match that could propel him into the elite of men’s tennis.

De Minaur would move from ninth to a career-best sixth in the live ATP world rankings if he beats French prodigy Arthur Fils in the round of 16 on Monday to reach his first Wimbledon quarter-final.

The 25-year-old Sydneysider has so far enjoyed the easiest passage into the second week, with two straight-set wins and one walkover.

But that comes with suggestions that it has been almost too easy for de Minaur, with the third-round draw against injured Lucas Pouille meaning he will not have played since his comfortable win over Jaume Munar on Thursday.

Asked whether the long gap between competitions might leave him not battle-hardened enough after his lengthy pre-Wimbledon competitive break following an early exit at Queen’s Club, de Minaur did not appear fazed.

“Personally, I never really care about how many matches I’ve played or how many tennis balls I’ve hit. I don’t lack anything in that regard,” he said.

“I’ve played enough matches throughout the year, even on grass,” said de Minaur, one of the busiest players on the circuit who will play his 48th match of 2024 and seek a 34th victory.

“So I don’t feel much, one way or the other.

“Obviously you always want to play, but sometimes you’re given these cards, and the gap between games means I only have a few days of training to prepare for the next one.”

Convinced he was lucky to have had such a mild week in a rain-hit schedule, a win over Fils could potentially elevate de Minaur to a rarefied position that only six other Australians have achieved in the 51 years of the ATP rankings launched in 1973.

A top six finish would put him alongside Lleyton Hewitt, John Newcombe and Patrick Rafter, who all reached number one, Ken Rosewall (No. 2), Rod Laver (No. 3) and Pat Cash (No. 4).

But it won’t be easy, with the young and powerful Fils having already demonstrated his danger by finally dominating de Minaur in three sets on the clay of Barcelona in April.

The Australian is wary of the 20-year-old’s weapons, especially after Fils beat one of the tournament favourites, Hubert Hurkacz, when the Pole had to retire through injury.

“Son, he comes in with a lot of confidence, obviously beating Hubie who is a very good player on this surface,” de Minaur said.

“He’s got a great game. He’s got good groundstrokes. In previous years, I probably wouldn’t have thought he would have enjoyed grass as much as he did, but he clearly enjoys it and feels comfortable on it.

“So he’s going to be very tough to beat. He’s also got a great serve, he’s a great athlete overall.”

Fils thinks the same of Minaur. “We played on clay last time, so it’s completely different. He’s one of the best on that surface, for sure,” said Le Parisien.

“He’s one of the fastest guys I know. He’s so fast that if I want to make a winning shot, I have to make three against him. Everybody knows he’s fast, but he’s also very smart on the court.”

“He’s done an incredible job since the beginning of the year, so it’s not going to be easy.”