“The difficult thing is Alex is only in Australia for around a month in a year, so by having TAG and SWISS as his sponsors, it gives him a more global brand,” Drysdale said.
Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has taken the teenager under his wing since his introduction to the grand slam scene, and de Minaur is also being managed through Hewitt’s management group W Sports & Media.
His progression into the third round has made him the new face of Australian tennis this summer, after disappointing results from Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios created headlines as both players were reportedly involved in a bitter feud with Tennis Australia and the Davis Cup team.
De Minaur, who entered the Australian Open in career best form after winning the Sydney International in his first ATP victory, showed his grit on Wednesday night, beating Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen in a thrilling five-set marathon.
He next faces childhood hero Rafael Nadal, a player particularly relevant to de Minaur’s adolescence given he spent much of his childhood in Alicante.
De Minaur’s father who is Uruguayan and Spanish mother spent the first five years of the tennis star’s life in Sydney before moving to Spain. After returning to Australia eight years later, the family soon moved back to Spain following the closure of the parents’ restaurant.
When asked about the influence Nadal has had on him, de Minaur had nothing but glowing praise for the 17-time grand slam winner.
“Rafa is pretty much like the king in Spain. He’s done so much amazing things for the sport. He’s had that many achievements. It’s pretty incredible,” he said.
With fearlessness that mirrors that of his mentor, Lleyton Hewitt, the young Aussie is looking forward to testing himself against the best.
“I think this is what you play for: to play the biggest guys and the best guys at the top of their level on the biggest stages. You just got to go out there, enjoy, just thrive off the atmosphere.”
De Minaur’s fighting spirit has an uncanny resemblance to Hewitt, which comes as little surprise given he spent two weeks at the Hewitt residence leading into the 2017 Australian Open.
Sheer determination has become synonymous with Hewitt, which is something that the Aussie youngster is hoping to replicate throughout his career.
“That’s something that I expect from myself every time I step out on court, to just leave it all out there, leave 150 per cent out there. That’s the bare minimum,” he said.
“I think that’s a very important message, especially that’s something you want to be known for. You want the players in the locker room to know you as that kid that fights till the end, has that never-say-die attitude, will compete until the end.”
Day 4 at the Open featured the No.1 seeds of the men’s and women’s draw, with blockbuster matches including Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka on Rod Laver Arena as well as night matches featuring Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic.
from A Viral Update http://bit.ly/2FENthP
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