Will the true Alex de Minaur please arise?
Not the wonderful battler who so usually falls simply that bit brief in opposition to the perfect – however the super-charged bantamweight who appears to be infused with extraordinary resolve and a heavyweight’s punch each time he dons his nation’s inexperienced and gold.
Yes, even Australia’s No.1 tennis man accepts that he seems to turn into a special athlete when he is within the Davis Cup zone.
After his victory over Dutch No.1 Botic van de Zandschulp in Malaga – his ninth win in his final 10 Davis Cup singles that thrust Australia into Friday’s semi-finals – he was requested how he’d describe this superman transformation.
“I reckon probably what I need to take it to the next level on the ATP Tour is to bring this Alex more often,” he smiled.
“But there is something special about representing your country and playing for Australia and being part of this team.
“This has all the time been a dream of mine, and I’ll all the time do every part in my energy to attempt to ship for my nation, my teammates, and my captain.
“It’s pride, it’s passion, and it’s a whole lotta heart.”
De Minaur is actually going to want extra of those magic elements when he faces an previous Croatian foe, Marin Cilic, in Friday’s (Saturday AEDT) semi-final.
Former US Open champ Cilic, nonetheless powering on at 34, was buoyant after an epic three-set win of his personal in opposition to Pablo Carreno Busta that knocked out the hosts Spain in Wednesday’s quarter-final.
He’s additionally armed with the reminiscence of an epic five-set win over de Minaur on the 2018 version of Flushing Meadows.
And much more considerably, he additionally held off a combating rearguard motion from the Sydneysider to win a superb duel ultimately yr’s Davis Cup which took the Croats to a gaggle tie victory.
That efficiency, after de Minaur had largely been outgunned, had his staff captain Lleyton Hewitt hailing it, even in defeat, as certainly one of his key lieutenant’s best performances.
De Minaur hasn’t misplaced a Davis Cup singles since, going unbeaten in six matchs, however he’ll must go one higher in opposition to Cilic this yr if he is to information Australia to their first closing since 2003, once they final lifted the title in opposition to Spain in Melbourne.
For Croatia will once more be favourites for the tie, fielding maybe essentially the most highly effective staff on view in Malaga with Cilic ranked 17 on the planet, a refreshed Borna Coric again as much as No.26 and their Olympic champion doubles staff of Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic.
So it’ll take one other monumental effort from Jordan Thompson, a three-hour, come-from-behind winner in opposition to Tallon Griekspoor on Tuesday, in opposition to Coric, who’s returning to close his finest after shoulder surgical procedure.
And it may all come all the way down to a possible doubles traditional between Australia’s personal formidable mixture of Matt Ebden and Max Purcell, the Wimbledon champions, and Mektic and Pavic, who took the title on the All England Club the yr earlier than.
