Up until this year, Alex de Minaur would arrive at Roland Garros with trepidation, knowing, with all the will in the world, that his stay in the French capital would be short and probably brutal. At times, he almost felt like he was being bullied, a boy against men, slipping and sliding on clay with nothing to hurt stronger, more seasoned opponents.
On Monday, as the sun came out in Paris for the first time in this year’s event, the 25-year-old became the first Australian to reach the men’s singles quarter-finals at the French Open since Lleyton Hewitt two decades ago.
