Alex de Minaur is excited to compete against the “GOAT” Novak Djokovic in the United Cup quarter-final against Serbia in Perth on Wednesday night.
The upcoming singles match between de Minaur and Djokovic is expected to be one of the most highly anticipated matches in the $US10 million ($A15 million) mixed-teams event.
De Minaur suffered a devastating 6-2 6-1 6-2 loss to Djokovic in the fourth round of the Australian Open in the previous year. However, his impressive 6-4 6-2 victory against world No 10 Taylor Fritz on Monday has greatly bolstered the confidence of the 24-year-old from Sydney as he prepares for his upcoming rematch against Djokovic.
According to De Minaur, Djokovic is the top male player in history with 24 grand slam titles and still holding the No. 1 spot at 36 years old. He surpasses Nadal and Federer in this ranking.
De Minaur commented on Novak’s exceptional level and acknowledged that he may be the greatest of all time. He noted that Novak has been performing well this year and acknowledged that it will be a difficult match. However, he sees it as an opportunity to showcase his abilities.
On Tuesday, Djokovic experienced a moment of concern after hurting his wrist during practice. However, the seasoned athlete was able to recover from the injury and played a key role in Serbia’s 2-1 win against the Czech Republic. He is certain that he will be in good condition to face de Minaur.
Ajla Tomljanovic, who has reached the quarter-finals of three grand slam tournaments, will compete against Olga Danilovic, currently ranked 121st in the world, in the women’s singles event.
If the match continues to a mixed doubles round, Australia will have an advantage with the strong partnership of Matt Ebden and Storm Hunter. Hunter is ranked as the top player in women’s doubles, while Ebden holds the fourth spot in men’s doubles.
This year, the pair has remained undefeated at the United Cup and intends to team up for all four major grand slam tournaments and possibly the Olympics.
A few months back, Storm and I discussed participating in the major tennis tournaments this year, and maybe even the Olympics. Then we both heard about the United Cup being an option, and I asked, “Are you planning on competing? We could train together and begin with the United Cup.”
“It’s a great beginning for us as a team, and it’s truly meaningful to compete in mixed doubles at all the Grand Slams with an Australian partner. That’s the ideal scenario in both doubles and mixed events, having the support of our fellow Australians.
“As a player who competes in both doubles and mixed doubles, that is all I could hope for.”
On Wednesday, Poland, the top seeded team, will compete against China in the quarter-finals of the United Cup. Hubert Hurkacz and Zhizhen Zhang will battle in the men’s singles, followed by a match between world No 1 Iga Swiatek and Qinwen Zheng.
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In the meantime, at the Brisbane International, Australian players Rinky Hijikata and Jordan Thompson achieved victories in two all-Australian matches, boosting hopes for their success in the upcoming Australian Open.
On Tuesday, Hijikata, Thompson, James Duckworth as a qualifier, and Jason Kubler, who is known for defeating Rafael Nadal, advanced to the last 16 alongside Alexei Popyrin.
After advancing to the fourth round of the US Open in September, Hijikata reached a new career peak in the rankings and continued to make waves by defeating Thanasi Kokkinakis with a score of 7-6 (10-8), 6-2.
Next, the 22-year-old will compete against Czech qualifier Tomas Machac for a spot in the quarter-finals. Thompson showed his superiority by defeating Aleksandar Vukic 6-3 6-2, securing a place in the second round where he will face either French fourth seed Ugo Humbert or American qualifier Alex Michelsen, who will play on Friday.
Earlier, Duckworth overcame a frustrating rain delay and continued his impressive performance from the qualifying rounds to advance to the second round of the weather-affected Australian Open lead-up tournament.
