De Minaur gets his head in the game

Alex De Minaur has felt the pressure this year as he transitions from the hunter to the hunted.

Alex De Minaur during his round one victory over Marco Cecchinato. Picture: Ella Pellegrini

In Andre Agassi’s autobiography Open, a succinct sentence describes perfectly a battle every tennis player in the world endures at some stage.

“Tennis is the loneliest sport,” Agassi wrote. Later he elaborated on this emotion while being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“You’re out there with no team, no coach and no place to hide.”

It is an experience Australia’s two leading players, Ash Barty and Alex de Minaur, have lived, so too the tantalising yet erratic Nick Kyrgios.

Loneliness forced Barty off the tour for more than a year.

What is notable since the 23-year-old’s return three years ago is the emphasis she places on the importance of the team she has around her, which includes performance coach Ben Crowe, and the support they provide.

In the weeks before Wimbledon, de Minaur spoke of his excitement at returning to the All England Club and the fact that he would be able to mix with his Davis Cup teammates.

But after a strong opening round win over 2018 French Open semi-finalist Marco Cecchinato yesterday, the 20-year-old said he has realised just how testing the tour could be.

The 25th seed was a new kid on the block last year when he reached the third round at Wimbledon, an effort that saw him book a date with Rafael Nadal on centre court.

He was voted the ATP Tour Newcomer of the Year and shared the Newcombe Medal with Barty, before beginning this season in style when claiming a maiden title in Sydney.

But illness, injury and expectation have been new experiences to deal with for a player still in the infancy of his career and they clearly unnerved him.

“So last year I’m, you know, coming up,” he said.

“No one really knows me, everything is going well, I’m winning a lot of matches. There is not really a lot of pressure on me and I’m enjoying myself.

“This year, I’ve got a lot more expectation on myself, a lot more pressure. I’ve got to back (up) my ranking. You know, it’s not all just going up.”

He had become the hunted at a time he was vulnerable and in tennis, where even the Federers, Nadals and Djokovics more often finish the week a loser than a victor, it is easy to become negative.

After an early exit from the Queen’s Club tournament amid distractions off the court, de Minaur picked up the phone.

Throughout his teens, he had worked semi-regularly with a sports psychologist in Spain and he felt the time had come to renew the relationship.

“(I) didn’t realise how much more I needed to talk to a psychologist,” he said.

“Obviously my eyes got opened up and I’m glad they did. I’m in a great headspace and really enjoying myself out there.

“Tennis is a very tough sport. You know, very individual, as well.

“You might have a big team around you, but at the end of the day, it’s just you out there on the tennis court. So you’ve got to try to turn things around when things aren’t going well.”

Even for a dedicated and diligent trainer like de Minaur, he has thrown everything into the past couple of weeks to be ready for Wimbledon.

“I feel like my game is there. It was just about putting everything together.

“I want to keep improving, and almost every day to be a bit of a better version of myself.”

De Minaur will now play American Steve Johnson, a player who boasts a powerful serve and forehand and favours an aggressive slice on his backhand.

“I think the grass really suits his game. He’s got a very mean slice and obviously great serve and forehand. It’s going to be a very difficult match,” he said.