Two-time champion Pat Rafter is imploring Alex de Minaur to ignore the outside noise and carry a boring, cliche-like "one-match-at-a-time" approach into his US Open title quest.
Rafter famously broke Australia's 24-year title drought in New York in 1997, succeeding John Newcombe, going back-to-back with his epic victories over the great Pete Sampras and then countryman Mark Philippoussis in the '98 final.
Now de Minaur is striving to snap Australia's 25-year Flushing Meadows men's hoodoo since his idol and now-Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt conquered Sampras in the 2001 title match.
