Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur addressed his Australian Open bid, saying that he was feeling good, but not overconfident.
De Minaur had a tough 2021 season. However, he played some good tennis at the ATP Cup, with the 22-year old taking his first top-ten win in two years by beating a tough opponent in Matteo Berrettini.
2022 has thus gotten off to a good start for the World No. 34. Given the slump he had in the previous year due to various factors, he feels it will be key for the upcoming tournament in his home country.
De Minaur addressed his Australian Open bid, saying that he was confident in his talent and ability to go far in the tournament.
“It’s always the goal to go deeper and deeper, keep achieving more goals,” he said, as quoted by tennis.com.
“But like any other year, I’m taking it very slowly, step by step, trying to focus on myself. I know my level’s there, so it’s just about stepping out on court and showing that.”
De Minaur faces Italy’s young star Lorenzo Musetti on Tuesday. Speaking about his opponent, he said, “It’s going to be a tough match. He’s a quality young guy, a lot of weapons.
“I’ve got to try and focus on my side of the court and do everything I’ve been doing as of late. Hopefully I can come out and play some good tennis.”
Momentum needed
“It’s no secret that last year I had a little bit of a slump after COVID. Didn’t have the results I wanted to. Confidence-wise I was a bit low,” he continued.
“I felt as soon as I was able to kind of put that year behind me, I was able to really turn a corner both mentality-wise and kind of confidence-wise.
“It’s just great to see the hard work paying off at the ATP Cup, coming out and playing some great tennis against quality opponents, starting off my Aussie summer very well.
“It’s a very good feeling, a very good confidence boost coming into the Australian Open,” he concluded.
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