Alex de Minaur will be hoping that his strong start to the season will continue at the ATP Cup as he reprises his role of Australia’s No. 1 singles player.
The 21-year-old spent the off-season at his training base in Spain after a strong 2020 that saw him guide his country to the quarter-finals at the inaugural ATP Cup, as well as reach the final in Antwerp and quarter-finals at the US Open. He shows no signs of slowing down, and has already claimed his first Top 20 win of the year over David Goffin, No. 16 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, en route to the Antalya Open trophy earlier this month.
“I'm very happy with the job we've put in as a team throughout the pre-season and now these past couple weeks,” De Minaur said. “I feel like I'm ready. I'm really looking forward to going out there and stepping out on court and competing in Australia. It's been a long time coming so I'm very pumped, that's for sure.”
😈 @alexdeminaur is pumped 🆙
— ATPCup (@ATPCup) January 31, 2021
🇦🇺 #TeamAustralia | #ATPCup pic.twitter.com/JLgwdalzgn
De Minaur brings plenty of momentum to Australia, having already tasted ATP Tour success in Turkey. He had to undergo two weeks in hotel quarantine with the rest of the international players – an experience De Minaur said has helped him gain a new perspective ahead of the tournament.
“I started off the year really well. Now we've had a couple weeks during quarantine to prepare and look at different aspects of my game to kind of tweak, get ready for the Australian summer of tennis,” De Minaur reflected.
De Minaur will share singles duties with John Millman as Australia faces Rafael Nadal's Spain and Stefanos Tsistipas' Greece in Group B. Former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt will reprise his role as team captain, with doubles stars John Peers and Luke Saville waiting in the wings. Peers is a two-time Nitto ATP Finals doubles titlist (w/Kontinen), while Saville returns to Melbourne after reaching the final at the Australian Open last year. It will be Saville's first time representing Australia in a team competition at the professional level.
“This is a massive highlight for me,” said 26-year-old Saville. “I've been working very hard for this moment to represent Australia. It's been 10 years since I played Junior Davis Cup, so... I'm thrilled to be here alongside these guys.
“I'll be ready when I get the call up to go out and play or even be on the bench. A massive thrill for me to be here. Obviously going to really enjoy the next few days.”
*Match schedule is subject to change in line with ATP rules and regulations
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/39uJ53E
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