Returning to his favorite venue, the Ken Rosewall Arena, Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur is looking forward to starting the new season in the United Cup.
Sydney, Australia, December 24, 2024 | Vivien Christie
When Alex de Minaur travels home to Australia every summer, happy memories from his favorite tennis courts come flooding back.
The top Australian player, who partly honed his talents at the Sydney International Tennis Center as a junior, spent much of his career at the Ken Rosewall Arena.
From his first ATP level final at the Sydney International in 2018 at the age of 18 to beating then higher-ranked opponents Matteo Berrettini, Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev in a beloved team environment, De Minaur has shown that the court is a testament to his abilities. I highly value it as a place where I can demonstrate my abilities. best.
“I’m very excited to be playing in front of my family and friends here at Ken Rosewall Arena. “I think it’s an incredible atmosphere.” The 25-year-old smiled at his self-described “favorite court” as he prepared for the 2025 United Cup at the stadium on Monday.
“It’s something I’ve been looking forward to ever since it was announced that we would be playing here in Sydney every time Australia plays here.”
Fan support is almost guaranteed for the passionate Green and Gold representatives, who already boast a proud United Cup history. In his first tournament two years ago, De Mino’s debut was a comeback victory over the prolific Spaniard Nadal.
His eye-catching performance in last year’s United Cup was even more impressive. It featured comeback wins against Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic (his first win against a world No. 1 opponent) and Zverev, who led the host country to the semifinals.
Within the team’s best was a personal record milestone as De Minaur celebrated his top-10 debut.
“I think it’s very important for confidence, to use it as a stepping stone,” he said. “I took my game to another level and ranked in the top 10. [was] It’s one of those really important milestone moments for me.
“I think I was able to use the confidence I gained in the first week of the new year to basically have the best year ever. “It was definitely a very important week for me.”
Australia 🇦🇺 #United Cup pic.twitter.com/Vo2fsvXUvQ
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) December 20, 2024
In the best season of his career, De Minaur won at Acapulco and ‘s-Hertogenbosch and reached the quarterfinals of three of his four Grand Slams. He peaked at No. 6 in the world in July.
Despite suffering a serious hip injury that sidelined him for several weeks late in the season, the tenacious De Minaur maintained a top-10 ranking and debuted at the ATP Finals ranked No. 9 in the world.
De Minaur is delighted to return to the Australian United Cup squad for a third consecutive season. The hosts will face Argentina on December 28 and England on January 1 in the round robin stage.
“I’m looking forward to starting the game,” De Minaur said. “Definitely playing (Tomas Martin) Etcheverry in Argentina and probably Billy Harris in GB. So I’m looking forward to getting started. [and] And I hope we get some wins for our country.
“It’s very exciting for us for the Australians to start the year at home in front of our home crowd, the best crowd in the world. I, and I think all Australians, are extremely excited about this Australian summer and summer ahead. I hope we all have a great game and play our best tennis.”
A feel-good factor for De Minaur this summer is his engagement to fellow player Katie Boulter, news the popular tennis couple announced on social media on Monday.
Love always wins! Congratulations Katie and Alex 💍😍 pic.twitter.com/HsEfYvFJU5
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) December 23, 2024
For the second season in a row, De Minaur and Englishman Boulter will feature in opposing United Cup teams. This is a potentially awkward situation that is faced with a characteristically Australian sense of humor.
“You know, it’s the luck of the draw,” he said. “And here we are again. “At least we’re in Sydney.”
And at his favorite stadium, De Minaur is considering some surprising possibilities. “I’ve had the best year so far, but at the same time I’m not satisfied. I want more. I want to finish my career knowing that I gave everything I could and the absolute maximum to continue to push myself and become the best tennis player I can one day be,” he said.
“That’s still the goal. We’re still pushing and striving for more. I’m working hard. “Hopefully we can get better and continue to adjust parts of our game to get those results.”
Tennis has appeared! United Cup tickets can be purchased through: ticketmaster.
