The revered Australian tennis veteran, Lleyton Hewitt, has laid down an ambitious goal for the country’s foremost singles player, Alex de Minaur: to reach the Australian Open semi-finals and establish himself within the world’s top 10.
Providing mentorship to de Minaur, Hewitt seeks to enhance the 24-year-old’s performance, declaring that reaching the top 10 is within distance. Emphasising consistency and belief in one’s abilities as crucial, Hewitt radiates unwavering confidence in his protégé, voicing time and again his certainty in de Minaur’s potential to triumph over any global player. He furnishes this faith as Australia’s Davis Cup captain, citing de Minaur’s formidable performance within the tournament as proof of his prowess.
De Minaur’s star is indeed in ascension, with his ranking advancing to an impressive 11 last week. The player is also gearing up to compete in the esteemed ATP Finals in Turin next month, a privilege accorded solely to the top eight players.
Drawing parallels between his own style and de Minaur’s, Hewitt repeatedly stresses the potential and capability that he sees in his mentee. He has no doubt in de Minaur’s capacity to conquer grand slams and yearns to see his performances reverberated consistently, aided by the fervour and inspiration drawn from his Davis Cup matches.
Hewitt, encouraging and passionate, envisions de Minaur enthralling audiences at the Australian Open with his unwavering determination and indomitable spirit. He sees the tournament as the perfect stage for de Minaur to rally crowd support, affirming that the vigor within spectators will fuel de Minaur’s drive and tenacity as he strides towards victory.
De Minaur’s position as a leading contender at the Australian Open, according to Hewitt, is conditional to his physical resilience. Hewitt prizes the ability to mentally endure five-set matches without losing momentum and believes that de Minaur, with disciplined focus and training, is inching towards that ideal, much in anticipation of breaking into the top 10.
The Australian team’s Davis Cup Captain further reassures fans of the country’s potential take-home victory at the Davis Cup Finals in November. His optimism stems from their recent underdog victory against France in Manchester in September, which has kept their championship dreams alive.
In the lead-up to the Zagreb finals, Hewitt proclaims his intention to retain his team roster, featuring Jordan Thompson, Thanasi Kokkinakis and the favoured doubles team Matt Ebden and Max Purcell, falling securely behind de Minaur’s lead. His faith in his team is unwavering and an infectious morale within the contingent bolsters his belief in their capacity to achieve grandeur.
