Coco Gauff v Kamilla Rakhimova, Mackenzie McDonald v Alex de Minaur, Yuan Yue v Iga Swiatek, Pedro Martinez v 4-Novak Djokovic, day 2, results, scores, schedule, draw, how to watch
Alex de Minaur was on life support in the third round of last year’s Australian Open campaign.
After losing the first set Argentinian left-hander Francisco CerundoloIn the 12th game of the next set, de Minaur hit a clutch reflex volley from the net cord to help her reach the tiebreak and avoid going two sets down.
But something much more important was going on in de Minaur’s mind. The pressure and expectation of being Australia’s leading man was weighing on him when he was playing at home for the first time.
Alex de Minaur says winning the Australian Open would be a dream come true.Credit: Penny Stephens
De Minaur survived four sets en route to the best quarter-final of her career at Melbourne Park, but dealing with the dream of being a nation’s great hope and becoming an Australian Open champion herself is an ongoing struggle.
“I assume that as the years go by, it will probably get more and more severe as there are more eyes, expectations and people wanting me to do better things,” he told this imprint ahead of his first-round match against American Mackenzie McDonald at Rod Laver Arena this afternoon.
“I feel the love and of course I’m in a great position. It’s still about the fact that I associate playing at home with pressure. It’s no secret that there’s no place I’d rather play than Australia. I think winning the Australian Open one day will be a dream come true.”
“But at the same time, in my brain, I don’t have to associate it with oppression, because that’s the beginning of a breakdown.”
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