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It was almost cruel how Alex de Minaur repeatedly sent lob shots up and over Arthur Fils’ head to defuse the Frenchman’s explosive approach. This is new ground for the Australian: a first grand slam quarter-final.
One of the fastest players in the sport is gathering momentum. After four successive fourth-round matches in the sport’s most prestigious events, a run that confirmed the world No 9 was knocking on the door, this polished victory (6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3) suggests he might be ready to knock it clean off its hinges.
Ashleigh Barty triumphed in 2021, but it’s been 22 years since a male Australian has won at SW19. Lleyton Hewitt, serving as a mentor to De Minaur, passionately lived through each point in the box, barking encouragement down below when the 25-year-old ventured over to his towel to wipe away sweat.
Hewitt will be bullish about De Minaur’s chances to go one better than Mark Philippoussis and Nick Kyrgios. If he can continue to marry his skill and “luck”, as he gleefully described it when handed a walkover in the last round following Lucas Pouille’s injury, then Novak Djokovic better watch out. Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti are the other contenders on his side of the draw, and while the Serb is a daunting opponent, he is evidently hobbled barely a few weeks since surgery on his right knee.
De Minaur’s framing of the tournament has seen him slice the fortnight in two: from “staying alive” in week one, to what he believes is “a completely new tournament” in week two.
And this was a smart performance, filled with composure and rapid decision-making as a bouncy Fils produced fireworks in a raucous contest that lasted almost three hours.
Fils was swinging for the fences, but De Minaur picked his moments brilliantly, limited mistakes and prevailed with impressive variety to his game. At 5-3 up in the second set, a disguised backhand drop shot pulled Fils to the net before a delightful lob secured the point. De Minaur would bemoan his service game afterward, but his return game, a major part of why he backs himself “all day every day,” proved decisive here to carve out a two-set lead.
De Minaur would eventually finish on 41 unforced errors to Fils’ 66, but he made just 13 across the first two sets with the Frenchman’s tally up at 33, showcasing the blueprint to his breakthrough on this stage.
“I think over the years my belief has grown a little bit more and more,” De Minaur claimed. “Obviously results have a lot to do with that, where you are in the rankings.
“Yeah, I'm just taking it day by day, very slowly. I'm happy to break new grounds here at Wimbledon. Yeah, as I said, I'm excited for the next challenge and battle.
“I'm going to go out there and whoever I play, I see it as a 50/50 match. While in the past, maybe I didn't have that same mindset.”
Alongside Hewitt was partner Katie Boulter, who could prove pivotal to De Minaur’s hopes if she can convince the British crowd to find an unlikely “honorary Brit” given that all hopes are now exhausted in the men’s and women’s singles.
“I'll take all the support I can get,” De Minaur remarked with a grin. “I can be the honorary Brit here at Wimbledon. I'll take all the support I can get.
“I do feel very loved out there, I must say. I always love coming here to Wimbledon and playing here. I always feel like I play some of my best tennis. Over the years I feel like the support I've had has grown significantly.
“It's a great feeling as a player to know you've got a lot of people in that stadium backing you in, having your back when essentially you're so far away from home.
“Definitely,” De Minaur added when pushed over whether he feels British. “Over the years I've learned a lot more about the British culture thanks to Katie. I'm getting there.”
De Minaur will nurse a hip complaint sustained at the very end of this match, which felt “a little bit ginger”. But with 48 hours to prepare, De Minaur should recover, as should Djokovic, who appeared to contend with stomach cramps during his comfortable win over Holger Rune.
De Minaur’s best weapon is no secret and even Djokovic is aware, setting up, in the words of Nick Kyrgios, “a box office quarter-final”.
“I’m feeling good, I played Alex a couple of times this year, on different surfaces, this will be the first time on grass. He's one of the quickest, if not the quickest player on the tour,” Djokovic said.
“I’ll have to do a lot of running, but I'm enjoying my running still at 37, I’m okay, I’m looking forward to it.”
