From as soon as showing to have toes of clay on the crimson stuff, Alex de Minaur now solely thinks of delivering main feats on clay.
The de Minaur who addressed reporters at Roland Garros after his first-round win on the French Open on Monday is a really totally different buyer to the determine who as soon as appeared a mite slowed down by his frailty there.
And as he contemplated the prospect of reaching the third spherical within the Paris slam for the primary time in seven makes an attempt, Australia’s No.1 males’s participant declared himself a way more formidable proposition today.
“I’m not in the same place I was three or four years ago, where I would come here and kind of just hope for a good draw because I knew it was going to be tough,” mused de Minaur after his 6-1 5-7 6-1 6-3 victory over Belarusian Ilya Ivashka.
“Now I feel like I can play well and I can take it to anyone who is in front of me.”
He reckoned the distinction between the outdated de Minaur, who so usually floundered on the floor, and the man who appears so glad and comfy in happening the assault on clay could possibly be encapsulated by how he recovered from a mid-match lapse of focus.
“It can get frustrating (playing on clay) at times. It’s important to be as chilled out as you can and kind of move on,” he defined, referring to the absent-minded spell when he misplaced 4 video games in a row with 9 unforced errors that allow a struggling Ivashka off the hook.
“That’s what I think I did. I was a little bit vocal in the second set, the end of the second set. And part of what I think changed the whole match was just me kind of being a little bit more quiet and just focused.
“I have not performed in all probability my greatest tennis right here. To be sincere, I believe that is extra on clay (as an entire).
“The first couple years of my career, I struggled to find my feet a little bit, but I think that’s really changed of late.
“Last 12 months, I actually felt like I discovered myself on this floor, and I used to be capable of play some good, top quality matches, and felt fairly comfy.”
His 2022 clay-court campaign, in which he held match points against Carlos Alcaraz in Barcelona before just missing out on a place in his first clay-court final, changed much for de Minaur.
Even though he went out in the Roland Garros first round to Hugo Gaston amid a gladiatorial atmosphere on Court Suzanne Lenglen, with his young French opponent being cheered to the rafters, he always fancied he would come back steeled further in 2023.
Next up for ‘Demon’ is a tough one against Argentina’s rising Tomas Martin Etcheverry, who he hasn’t played since they were battling it out as kids “within the Orange Bowl underneath 12s – one thing like that”.
“He’s the definition of a really, superb clay-courter. Very robust man, tall, acquired an enormous serve, large forehand … a kind of unseeded darkish horses, so I’ll be prepared for a battle, that is for positive,” shrugged de Minaur.
As a little bit of darkish horse himself – albeit a seeded one – de Minaur says he is able to relish the fray.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
