'I got tired of that narrative': De Minaur ready to show he can topple Alcaraz

(Getty/Morgan Hancock)

For an Aussie ranked No.6 in the world and playing some of his best tennis at his home Slam, there sure isn't a Hewitt-like hype following Alex de Minaur around Melbourne Park. 

In fact, public sentiment suggests his upcoming quarter-final against Spaniard Carlos Alcataz is a fait accompli.  

Such pessimism arguably sells our top-ranked Australian short, and he doesn't like it. 

You can understand that from his perspective, too. His continual improvements year after year are nothing but impressive, and he is undoubtedly one of the best tennis players in the world.    

Ask any player on tour, and they'll tell you they'd love to see the same continuous improvements in their own game.  

One notable evolution in the de Minuar repertoire was his ability to stand up and overpower a genuine big hitter in Alexander Bublik on Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night (and Hamad Medjedovic before that).

"I'm just showing the people that I have improved, right? I've got more to give," declared de Minaur in his post-match press conference. 

"I got tired of the narrative that these big hitters can take the racquet out of my hands. 

"Over the years, I have kept on improving. I have kept on getting more and more out of myself.

"One of the things I have been constantly wanting to get to is exactly that, when I'm playing big hitters, not be a punching bag for them, and really show them that I can go toe-to-toe with them and actually dictate and get them moving.

"Ultimately, very happy that I'm able to execute that. And, yeah, the last couple of matches are some of the best ball striking I have had here at the AO."

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After comprehensively dismantling one of the men's tour's hottest hands, de Minaur has become the first Australian since Pat Cash to reach back-to-back Australian Open quarter-finals, eclipsing the likes of Hewitt, Rafter, and Philippoussis.

He's not just crawled over the line, either. He's steamrolled his way there through a difficult draw.  

"The scoreline is really saying how tough it is [to play de Minaur], because I think I served well," shared Bublik after his 92-minute thrashing at the hands of the Australian. 

"I mean, especially second and third set, I served, like, over 70 per cent, and I won, like, what, seven points or, whatever, 10 points. Yeah, it was all one-sided, unfortunately."

Having passed the Bublik and Tiafoe tests with flying colours, de Minaur must now face one of his, and almost everyone else's, two bogeymen, Carlos Alcaraz (with Jannik Sinner being the other). 

He knows he's up against it, and he's acutely aware that most people have already written him off, but the Sydneysider has no interest in trying to convince people he's up to the admittedly herculean task.

"Honestly, it's not my job to give them optimism, right? My job is to go out there and compete and do that and let my tennis do the talking," said de Minaur.

"What everyone else can decide before the match is their opinions, right? There is nothing I can do to control that. 

"I'm not going to come out here and plead Australia to, ah, believe in me, I can do it. I'm going to go out there. I'm going to compete. I'm going to go after the match. I'm excited for the battle. Ultimately it's something that I have never done, but, you know, there is always a first time for everything. 

"I'm hoping that will be on Tuesday."

Interestingly, carrying a chip on his shoulder might help de Minuar narrow the gap between him and the six-time Slam champion.

It certainly worked in the lead-up to his match against the dangerous American Frances Tiafoe. 

After out-hitting and outlasting Serbian Hamad Medjedovic, who has the highest winner-to-rally-ball ratio on the ATP tour, de Minaur was asked again about his ability to withstand the game's bigger hitters. His response suggested he's very comfortable with his own credentials. 

"I'm currently 6 in the world," the 26-year-old stated assertively.  

"I've gotten there because I can play some ball, too. Even if my opponent is playing some lights-out tennis, there's still ways where I can hurt my opponent and get them out of that kind of zone."

What followed was perhaps de Minaur's best performance at the Australian Open; a comprehensive beat-down of Tiafoe where the demon's ability to combine his excellent defensive skills with his more aggressive baseline and transition game stood out. 

Of course, comprehensively taking out the likes of Bublik and Tiafoe is one thing, and it's a necessary step in his development to becoming a year-round top-five player, but Alcaraz is another issue altogether. 

The fact of the matter is that de Minaur is 0-5 against Alcaraz, and the 22-year-old Spaniard is on a mission to become the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam. 

But that doesn't mean he's invincible. In fact, Alcaraz has never made it past the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park, with losses to Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev at this stage in his past two attempts.  

There are also unanswered questions over how Alcaraz will respond when truly stress tested in his first tournament following his split with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. The challenge for de Minaur will be whether he can get Alcaraz to the point that Ferrero's absence becomes a factor. 

Ultimately, it's right that Alcaraz enters their quarter-final clash as the punters' favourite. Still, de Minaur's evolved game style and combative attitude will give him his best chance to defeat the world No.1 for the first time, and break through to that elusive Grand Slam semi-final. 

He just won't try to convince you it's possible.

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