US Open: Alex de Minaur confirms return from hip injury

Australia’s best grand slam hope has given an update on his injury recovery as two youngsters earnt US Open wildcards.

West Australian youngster Taylah Preston has been given a wildcard into the main draw at the US Open. Picture: Patrick Hamilton / AFP

Australian star Alex de Minaur says he will play at the US Open after overcoming the hip injury that crushed his Wimbledon hopes and threatened to derail his season.

The world No.10 announced in a “little update” on his Instagram account that he would return at Flushing Meadows later this month after missing the major lead-up tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati.

De Minaur said it had been “very tough’ sitting out the tournaments, which also included the Olympics singles draw after the injury forced his withdrawal ahead of a quarter-final blockbuster with Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.

“(I’ve) been working hard trying to recover from my injury. It’s been very tough missing tournaments and (I’m) excited to say I’ll be playing (at the) US Open,” he wrote.

Alex de Minaur (left) joined Alexei Popyrin in the Olympics doubles in Paris but sat out the singles as he recovered from a hip injury. Picture: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images

“Thanks to all the support I’ve gotten – it’s definitely helped me through these tough times.

“There’s always light at the end of the tunnel.”

De Minaur will join 14 Australians – 11 men and three women – in the US Open main draw after Taylah Preston and Tristan Schoolkate were awarded wildcards on Thursday.

Preston, 18, will play in the main draw of an overseas grand slam for the first time after she delivered a vital win in her Billie Jean Cup debut against Mexico to send Australia into the competition finals earlier this year.

West Australian 18-year-old Taylah Preston has earnt a main draw wildcard and will make her US Open debut later this month. Picture: Patrick Hamilton / AFP

The win made Preston the first Australian teenager to win her debut Billie Jean King Cup tie since Ash Barty in 2013.

Fellow West Australian Schoolkate was also rewarded for a breakout season after climbing the world rankings from 264 to 176 between February and July.

The 23-year-old won a Challenger title in Guangzhou earlier this year and has reached the quarter-finals at eight separate events on the Challenger circuit this season.

The US Open begins on August 26.

Australians in the US Open main draw

Men: Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson, Rinky Hijikata, James Duckworth, Max Purcell, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Adam Walton, Christopher O’Connell, Tristan Schoolkate and Aleksandar Vukic.

Women: Taylah Preston, Ajla Tomljanovic and Daria Saville.

Originally published as US Open: Alex de Minaur confirms return from hip injury