Australia’s headline act, Alex de Minaur, is an invisible man among Wimbledon’s contenders
Headline act Alex de Minaur is front and centre at the Australian Open. It’s a different story at Wimbledon.
Alex de Minaur sneezes at the Australian Open and there’s front-page yarns, back-page yarns, analysis, opinion pieces, photographs of him sneezing as a kid, reaction from Lleyton Hewitt, a million people saying bless you and a limited edition commemorative poster.
At Wimbledon, the contrast is extreme. Australia’s finest player could ride a bicycle through the gorgeous village, drop into The Old Frizzle, grab a pint and beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in a game of pool without too many folks batting an eyelid. Perhaps only the publican asking for proof of age. It’s tale of two cities. De Minaur is the headline act and barely has a second to himself in Melbourne each January, but come London in July, he’s left to his own devices by the public and press. Among The Championships’ contenders, for now, he’s an invisible man.
On Tuesday morning, I’m reading a pile of newspapers at Rosy Lea Café near the Wimbledon train station. England’s darling, Emma Raducanu, is plastered all over the tabloids and broadsheets. I cannot find a single reference to the ninth-seeded de Minaur’s upcoming match. Not even the fact he’s Katie Boulter’s wingman. A few hours later, on Court 12, the invisible man beats barrel-chested countryman James Duckworth 7-6 (7/1) 7-6 (7/3) 7-6 (7/4).
“It definitely wasn’t easy, by any means,” de Minaur says. “It’s never easy playing a fellow Aussie. Playing Ducks, who is a great grass-court player, and starting your Wimbledon campaign, it’s not easy – but I’m happy to be through.”
Play has commenced at 11am on an overcast morning. New balls are swinging around like they’re made of leather and have a seam. A smattering of Australian supporters are shouting, “C’mon, Demon!,” like it’s The Oval in 1882 and the original Demon, Frederick Spofforth, is taking 14-90 to skittle England again. Champagne corks are popping during regular rain delays. One bloke declares, “Bottoms up!”
The invisible man receives polite applause for his triumph. His head has been down, his bottom’s been up, but he hasn’t been as bubbly as usual. He quietly and almost sheepishly pumps a fist and acknowledges his audience. The fanfare is minimal to non-existent. For the same result at Melbourne Park, we may have considered a ticker-tape parade and keys to the city. Which Raducanu appears on the verge of receiving.
As world No. 9, the invisible man knows he has a target on his back the size of the London Eye. “It’s the aim of the game, right?“ he says ahead of Thursday’s assignment against Spain’s world No. 63 Jaume Munar.
“Ultimately, it’s a good position to be in. I think the rest of the field now see it as a chance to have a crack at me. A lot of these players are playing against you with not a lot to lose. Therefore, you’ve got to always bring your level if you want to get through.
“That’s what makes you even tougher. Gives you even more confidence about being able to squeak through the tough moments.”
The invisible man has been below his new top-10 standards. A little down in the mouth. He’s landed 51 per cent of his first serves and hit seven double-faults. Duckworth has bounced back to have the second and third sets on his racquet. Rubber Ducky. A no-look half-volley has thrilled the patrons. Shot, Duck! Champagne stuff! He’s been unable to keep it up. Shot duck.
“I don’t think it was his best match,” Duckworth admits. “He’ll probably say that as well. He could have played better. First round, another Aussie, nervous, and he hasn’t played a match for 10 days or so. A number of factors.
“But he’s a very good player, especially on this surface. He’s only going to get better from this match and yeah, I hope he wins the tournament.”
Just across the walkway, Alexei Popyrin beats Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro 6-4 6-7 (8/10) 6-3 6-4 before Adam Walton experiences the absolute bliss of his first win at a major. In his first match at Wimbledon. A 6-3 6-3 7-5 win over Argentina’s Federico Coria. How does it feel? The 25-year-old beams, “It feels very good!”
Not invisible is Novak Djokovic. Here’s a player unlikely to ride a bicycle through the gorgeous Wimbledon village, drop into The Old Frizzle, grab a pint and beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in a game of pool without too many folks batting an eyelid. Then again, perhaps we’re underestimating him. Somehow, Ronnie “The Rocket” is in Djokovic’s courtside entourage for his 6-1 6-2 6-2 thrashing of Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva.
”I’m his fan,” Djokovic says of England’s seven-times world snooker champion. “I watch snooker just because of him. I watched when I was a kid. I only watched Ronnie. Whenever he would not play, I would not watch.
“We had an interaction for the first time and it was great. He’s one of the sporting greats and it’s really nice to have him around. I’m okay at pool or billiards, but snooker – I tried it twice and it’s tough. He’s a really nice person. A nice guy. Very funny.”
There’s a couple of grey areas surrounding Djokovic. The first grey area is the extent of his knee injury. The other grey area is the grey area protecting the grey area. The grey sleeve he’s wearing over his right knee despite Wimbledon’s all-white policy for clothing and accessories.
“Grey, or great?” he says. “We did check in the days prior if we have permission. We’re trying to find a white one, trust me. I know it’s not ideal. I like to go all-white and I like to respect the rules, but I got the permission. I said to them that I will give our best for the next match for the white one.
“I’m very happy with the way I felt, the way I played and the way I moved. For an opening match, I couldn’t have asked for a better start.”
Invisible once more is Marketa Vondrousova. She’s bottomed out. Been shocked 6-4 6-2 by Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in one of the biggest upsets in decades. A defending ladies’ champion hasn’t lost in the opening round since Lori McNeil ambushed Steffi Graf in 1994. It hasn’t happened in the gentlemen’s singles since Hewitt fell to Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic in 2003.
Maneiro has SHH tattooed on her left index finger. A shoosh to her critics. “When you’re a tennis player, you have a lot of persons who say that you cannot do it, you’re so bad, you don’t have tennis, you don’t have these qualities, your effort is not so good,” she says.
“To these people, it’s like a shut up to them. Not for the good people. It’s just funny for me.
“I have feelings with this tattoo because I said one time if I do something good, for these people, I will do it. I feel so happy right now. It’s one of the most beautiful experiences in my life.”
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