Alex De Minaur backed to make most of Wimbledon wildcard

Newcombe medallist Sam Groth has praised the development made by emerging Australian player Alex De Minaur.

Australia’s Alex De Minaur is aiming to qualify for Eastbourne before making his first appearance at Wimbledon. Picture: Getty Images

Newcombe medallist Sam Groth has praised the development made by emerging Australian Alex De Minaur and believes he is more than capable of success when making his Wimbledon debut.

The 19-year-old Sydneysider became the sixth Australian man to receive a spot in the Wimbledon main draw when he was awarded a wildcard by the All England Club in recognition of his strong form on grass courts.

For the second year in succession, there was intrigue surrounding Wimbledon’s wildcard decision.

A year after deciding not to award Maria Sharapova a main draw wildcard following her return from a doping suspension, the All England Club took a similar stance in denying local hope Dan Evans a wildcard entry.

The former world No 41, who De Minaur beat to win a Challenger title in Nottingham last Sunday, has only recently returned to the tour after a ban for recording a positive test to cocaine.

But the decision to award De Minaur, a former boys finalist at Wimbledon, a wildcard has been well received given his form this year.

“Alex has really shot up,” Groth told The Australian.

“He has done well there in the juniors and he has gone out and made a final in one (Challenger) and then won one of those events, so he very much deserves that opportunity. By doing that, and through the results he has already had over the year, he has cemented himself in the top 100.”

De Minaur, who made his maiden ATP Tour final in Sydney in January, is the third-ranked teenager in the world behind Canada’s Denis Shapovalov and Greek Stafanos Tsitsipas.

Despite now holding a ranking of 78, he missed direct entry for Wimbledon because the cut-off came before the French Open, when he was just outside the top 100, but he has no cause for concern now.

After a short rest following his success in Nottingham, De Minaur will attempt to qualify for an ATP tournament in Eastbourne next week before making his Wimbledon debut.

Although he does not have a powerful serve and favours the baseline, De Minaur has shown that he is more than capable when coming into the net and has a sound all-court game.

Groth, who was in Melbourne yesterday with former stars Jelena Dokic and Casey Dellacqua participating in a Tennis Australia junior development coaching course, has confidence in the young right-hander.

“I think the grass suits him quite a lot,” he said.

“He moves really well, which is important on grass because it is not the easiest surface to move on, but he is low to the ground and his speed is a big asset to have.

“The way he hits the ball — quite flat and sometimes with some underspin shots on his forehand and backhand — it is going to stay nice and low.

“He is not hurt as much on his serve or his power side either, which he still lacks a little bit now, on the grass. It helps him a little bit more in winning a free point here or there, so I think it is a surface that suits his game.”

James Duckworth, who returned to the tour at Roland Garros following a prolonged stint on the sidelines due to injury, needs only one more withdrawal to earn a spot at Wimbledon. Bernard Tomic will lead Australian hopes in qualifying.

The good run Australians are enjoying since switching surface from clay to grass has continued this week.

Sam Stosur reached her first quarter-final in a grass-court event in seven years in Mallorca, while Ash Barty followed a title win in Nottingham with an opening round win in Birmingham.

After overcoming Andy Murray in a tight opening round tussle at Queen’s, Nick Kyrgios partnered Lleyton Hewitt to defeat recent French Open champions Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the doubles.