Alex de Minaur proved himself to be a man of his word in his 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 first round victory against Mackenzie McDonald on Monday.
Australia’s No.1 spoke in the lead-up to his home slam of the need to spend as little time on court as possible in the early rounds.
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Sporting a more bulked up frame, and with a seemingly more aggressive approach than usual intertwined with his trademark defensive skills, de Minaur did exactly that.
He dispatched the American lucky loser, who replaced the injured Matteo Berrettini in the main draw, in only one hour and 48 minutes.
It was clear for all to see inside Rod Laver Arena that the 26-year-old had a little more “oomph” on his ground strokes, and his serve, than in past visits to Melbourne Park.
He sent down nine aces with a fastest serve of the match of 204 km/h.
His first serve percentage stood at just 52 per cent, but when his serve did land in, he won 85 per cent of points in a promising sign going forward.
That number appeared to be the catalyst for de Minaur’s willingness to go bigger with his serve and not be dismayed when it did not pay off.
Once the ball was in play, the Australian crunched 32 winners, more than double his opponent.
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De Minaur’s added firepower is why he has risen to No.6 in the world rankings, and four-time grand slam champion Jim Courier believes he can rise further.
“De Minaur, ranked six, and as we look at the rankings and the players around him, you have Novak Djokovic. He’s number four, but how much longer is he going to stay up at that height?” Courier pondered on commentary for Channel 9.
“Because he’s probably going to continue to play a lighter and lighter schedule. And with that, ranking drop.
“Alex should have (the top three) as his target from a standpoint rankings. It’s realistic.
“Zverev is dropping a bunch points if he doesn’t play well here.
“He’s got to do the work. No question Alex is going to do that.
“Keep your head down, win matches but your obstacles that are in front of you are probably insurmountable.
“Sinner, Alcaraz hard to imagine they’re going to drop out of the top two unless they’re injured or suspended.”
On court in his post-match interview, Courier then asked de Minaur, who sits at a career-best ranking at present, how far he can go.
The Australian admitted that he often struggles to stay in the moment as he is always looking ahead to the next accomplishment, but promised his adoring crowd of bigger things to come.
“I am working to enjoy a little bit more and appreciate the journey and where I’ve come from,” de Minaur said.
“Give myself bit of a pat but at the same time I want more. Plan is to go for more, keep on improving, keep pushing.
“And yeah, hopefully six isn’t my career high ranking.”
De Minaur was given the perfect platform to showcase his new-found weaponry on Monday afternoon.
Many across the nation were baffled when the nation’s biggest hope was scheduled outside of the prime-time evening session.
But with ten-time champion Novak Djokovic taking centre stage on Monday night, de Minaur relished the chance to go to work in the heat of the day.
While chaos ensued around Melbourne Park with several players struggling physically as the mercury pushed 30 degrees, de Minaur ran McDonald ragged.
The local favourite capitalised on the added speed on the ball that comes beneath the Australian sun, and his incredible fitness levels – which he discussed pre-tournament as a by-product of being raised down under – were also on show.
“Historically, I’ve played pretty well here in Australia, so I enjoy the conditions,” de Minaur said post-match.
“It’s quite quick when the sun’s out like today, conditions are pretty ball flies through the air. It helps my serve.
“A little bit more oomph and with the crowd behind me, it’s a win-win.”
De Minaur will face Hamad Medjedovic in the second round on Wednesday after the Serbian’s four-set victory Argentine Mariano Navone.
Potentially beyond that are challenging match-ups with 29th seed Frances Tiafoe in the third round and 10th seed Alexander Bublik, who came from two sets down to defeat de Minaur in the second round of last year’s French Open.
Pass those tests and the Australian is likely to be rewarded with a quarter-final against world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz.
Much has been made of de Minaur’s tough draw, and his tendency to defeat players ranked below him before being eliminated by the world’s best.
He has never beaten dominant duo Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who has defeated de Minaur in Melbourne twice before, and has never reached the last four at a grand slam.
But the Australian insists he is not here to simply make up the numbers.
“Look, I think the way I’m feeling at the moment is that I’ve gotten to a stage where I’m not just another number in this draw, right?” de Minaur told reporters at Melbourne Park.
“I’m playing to win it and be one of those guys in contention. So ultimately, that’s the goal, right?
“I’m going to do my best, and it’s not about being satisfied if I make a second week, if I make a quarterfinals, a semis. There is no real kind of stage. It’s just going to be having that mindset of, okay, I’m going for this, and it’s going to take one step at a time.
“But I’m not just making up the numbers now. It’s about me taking that next step and believing in my abilities, and that’s going to be the only thing that’s going to allow me to ultimately take that next step.”
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