Alex de Minaur

[Lleyton]

De Minaur Completes Masterful Group Play Performance In Milan

Spoiler:

Australian tops Group B, joined by Rublev in semi-finals

Alex de Minaur arrived at the Fiera Milano on Thursday having already clinched his spot in the last four at the Next Gen ATP Finals. But the Aussie showed that he had no intentions of slowing down, beating Taylor Fritz 4-3(8), 4-1, 4-2 to win Group B.

And not only did the Aussie guarantee top spot in his group, but by winning the first two sets, he eliminated Fritz from semi-final contention, meaning 2017 runner-up Andrey Rublev will also move through to the knockout rounds. De Minaur has lost just one set this week, showing why he is the second seed.

“Whenever I step on court, I want to leave 150 per cent out there and today was no different,” De Minaur said. “I’m really proud of my effort and I’m looking forward to what’s next.”

De Minaur’s breakout season on the ATP World Tour continues to get better by the tournament. It’s just 10 months ago that the Aussie was No. 208 in the ATP Rankings. But a trip to the Brisbane semi-finals and the Sydney championship match — his first tour-level final — sent De Minaur soaring, and he has not looked back since.

The 19-year-old is currently World No. 31, the top-ranked player from his country. If De Minaur goes on to triumph in Milan, he will take home $407,000 thanks to his undefeated performance in round-robin play.

Watch Live On Amazon Prime: United States | All Other Regions

The key to the match was the first set, as Fritz held six set points to take the lead. But the American could not convert, and De Minaur used the momentum to his advantage.

“I just had to dig deep. I was down and out there and I managed to scrap my way with a couple good returns and a couple long rallies,” De Minaur said. “I managed to get that one cheap point and was able to serve it out, so that first set was crucial.”

De Minaur then earned his first break of serve and used that to cruise through the second set to take a commanding lead and eliminate Fritz. The American was still stewing over his missed opportunities.

“It’s those chances in the first set man,” Fritz told coach David Nainkin over his headset after losing the second set. “I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing, I’ve just got to do it better.”

But De Minaur did not budge, and a final unforced error off the backhand wing gave the second seed his third victory of the week after 70 minutes. Fritz finished Group B play 1-2, coming out on top against childhood friend and Italian wild card Liam Caruana.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/de ... ursday-atp

[arti]

[Damian]

[Damian]

[Damian]

Demon Roars: De Minaur Advances To Milan Final

Spoiler:

Australian will meet Tsitsipas or Rublev in championship match
Aussie Alex de Minaur’s breakthrough season got even better on Friday evening, as the 19-year-old defeated Spaniard Jaume Munar 3-4(5), 4-1, 4-1, 3-4(4), 4-2 to reach the championship match at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

De Minaur is now an impressive 28-22 on the year after entering 2018 with just two tour-level match wins to his record. The second seed has not lost a match at the Fiera Milano, winning Group B before battling past Munar in exactly two hours.

While De Minaur and Munar had never contested a FedEx ATP Head2Head match before, Munar had won their two previous professional meetings, both in straight sets. One of those clashes came in the final of an ATP Challenger Tour event in Segovia, Spain last August, when the Spaniard lifted his first trophy at that level. Munar cruised past his Aussie counterpart in that match, triumphing in just 70 minutes.

Watch Live On Amazon Prime: United States | All Other Regions

But De Minaur has grown his game tremendously since then, making the largest jump of any player into the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings this year, moving from No. 208 to No. 31. And he showed how he has soared that high on Next Gen Arena, saving all five break points he faced to advance to the final.

The semi-final got more complicated than it appeared it would, though. After losing an opening-set tie-break, De Minaur grabbed control, using his speed to frustrate Munar, while stepping in aggressively when appropriate. And at 3-2, 0/40 in the fourth set on the seventh seed's serve, the Aussie was on the verge of victory. But on his final two match points in the game — his third and fourth match points overall — De Minaur missed a forehand passing shot just wide and then a high backhand volley just wide as well. And Munar used that momentum to force a decider.

De Minaur was in uncharted territory, having lost just one set throughout round-robin play, but he quickly regrouped. The No. 1 Aussie in the ATP Rankings immediately broke in the decider and did not let slip his advantage, winning 80 per cent of his service points in the fifth set to earn the right to play for the title against top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or 2017 runner-up Andrey Rublev. Munar will compete against the loser of the second semi-final on Sunday in the third-place playoff.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/de ... friday-atp

[DUN I LOVE]

No to przekonamy się, czy do 3 razy sztuka (po Sydney i Waszyngtonie).

[arti]

[arti]

[Lleyton]

Demon Roars: De Minaur Advances To Milan Final

Spoiler:

Australian will meet Tsitsipas in championship match

Aussie Alex de Minaur’s breakthrough season got even better on Friday evening, as the 19-year-old defeated Spaniard Jaume Munar 3-4(5), 4-1, 4-1, 3-4(4), 4-2 to reach the championship match at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

De Minaur is now an impressive 28-22 on the year after entering 2018 with just two tour-level match wins to his record. The second seed has not lost a match at the Fiera Milano, winning Group B before battling past Munar in exactly two hours.

While De Minaur and Munar had never contested a FedEx ATP Head2Head match before, Munar had won their two previous professional meetings, both in straight sets. One of those clashes came in the final of an ATP Challenger Tour event in Segovia, Spain last August, when the Spaniard lifted his first trophy at that level. Munar cruised past his Aussie counterpart in that match, triumphing in just 70 minutes.


Watch Live On Amazon Prime: United States | All Other Regions

But De Minaur has grown his game tremendously since then, making the largest jump of any player into the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings this year, moving from No. 208 to No. 31. And he showed how he has soared that high on Next Gen Arena, saving all five break points he faced to advance to the final.

The semi-final got more complicated than it appeared it would, though. After losing an opening-set tie-break, De Minaur grabbed control, using his speed to frustrate Munar, while stepping in aggressively when appropriate. And at 3-2, 0/40 in the fourth set on the seventh seed's serve, the Aussie was on the verge of victory. But on his final two match points in the game — his third and fourth match points overall — De Minaur missed a forehand passing shot just wide and then a high backhand volley just wide as well. And Munar used that momentum to force a decider.

De Minaur was in uncharted territory, having lost just one set throughout round-robin play, but he quickly regrouped. The No. 1 Aussie in the ATP Rankings immediately broke in the decider and did not let slip his advantage, winning 80 per cent of his service points in the fifth set to earn the right to play for the title against top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. Munar will meet Andrey Rublev on Saturday in the third-place playoff.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/de ... friday-atp

[Lleyton]

[Barty]

Speed Demon: Behind De Minaur's Greatest Strength

Spoiler:

Find out about the weapon the Aussie has used to soar in 2018
Alex de Minaur has taken the ATP World Tour by storm in 2018, climbing from No. 208 in the ATP Rankings to his current standing of No. 31. The results speak for themselves — finals in Sydney and Washington, D.C., semi-finals in Brisbane and Shenzhen, and the Aussie’s maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Nottingham.

But how has De Minaur risen, and done so, this quickly? One thing is certain, and that is that the 19-year-old is already one of the fastest players on the ATP World Tour. If you would’ve told De Minaur that even a few years back, he never would have believed it.

“Not at all. Yeah, growing up in the juniors, it sort of probably just clicked maybe three, four years ago. Before that, I was clumsy. I had big feet. I moved really bad on court, and I sort of had to use instincts to move around because I wasn't the biggest guy, and I wasn't the strongest guy, and I didn't move well,” De Minaur said. “I had to develop a little bit of a core craft and find different ways to win matches. And I think all of that has helped me develop and be the player that I am now.”

Every player has their strengths and weaknesses. For some, it’s their forehand. For others, it might be their serve. But for De Minaur, his weapon is clear.

“I would probably have to say my speed,” De Minaur said. “That’s something that I really can’t live without because the only thing I do these days is run side to side and it’s something I’ve got to work on. It would be nice to get a little bigger and stronger so I don’t have to do as much running, but those are things I hope to work on in the preseason and get better.”


Taylor Fritz, another Next Gen ATP Finals contender, who lost to the Aussie on Thursday, said that he wishes he could borrow some of De Minaur’s footwork.

“I need to work on getting faster and moving better, so unlike Alex I can do more movement,” Fritz joked.

“Do you want to trade off? Let’s have a trade-off!” De Minaur responded, asking for Fritz’s height and power.

And while De Minaur said that he has just improved his speed recently, coach Adolfo Gutierrez says that he doesn’t necessarily agree with his charge’s opinion.

“Who knows him knows that he was very fast, always, since he was young,” Gutierrez said. “It is true that his feet were a little bigger, flat feet, something that was quite funny, actually, but he has always been very fast and very agile. In fact as a child he played at Hércules (football team) and even then he was quick and coordinated.”


Whether the Aussie No. 1’s speed has come along this year or not, his game certainly has, and it’s made a significant impression on his opponents. While De Minaur and Jaume Munar had never met in a FedEx ATP Head2Head match before Friday at the Next Gen ATP Finals, Munar beat De Minaur in their two previous professional matches, winning both times in straight sets.

But in the Milan semi-finals, De Minaur was all over the court, scratching and clawing passing shots from unfavourable positions past the Spaniard.

“He’s always running,” Munar said. “He’s getting impossible balls I think, [he hit] many passing shots today in important moments and all the credit to him. I think he’s a great player.”

De Minaur has sprinted and slid around Next Gen Arena all week, going undefeated in round-robin play and then beating Munar to give himself an opportunity to play for the prestigious title at the Fiera Milano against top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. And to nobody’s surprise, the Greek was quick to explain what he feels will test him the most with De Minaur’s game.


“He's very quick,” Tsitsipas said. “That's his biggest weapon, his speed on the court.”

And the ‘Speed Demon’ will try to use that weapon once more in his final match of the season to run his way to the Next Gen ATP Finals title and with it, the $407,000 that goes to an undefeated champion.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/de ... eature-atp

[arti]

Read & Watch: De Minaur Receives Newcomer of the Year Trophy At The O2

Spoiler:

Australian teen rose from outside the Top 200 to World No. 31 in 2018

Alex de Minaur got a first taste of centre stage at the Nitto ATP Finals, honoured on court Tuesday at The O2 as the Newcomer of the Year in the 2018 ATP World Tour Awards Presented By Moët & Chandon.

“This is incredible,” he said. “Definitely gives you a lot of hunger to be able to try to make it here. This is definitely one of my goals and I’ll do everything in my power to one day hopefully get here.”

From outside the Top 200 to open the year, the 19-year-old Australian soared to a career-high No. 31 in 2018 – one of just two teenagers in the year-end Top 100 in ATP Rankings. He finished his breakthrough season last week at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, where he finished runner-up to Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2018 Most Improved Player of the Year.

“It’s been an incredible season, starting in Australia, playing in front of the home crowd, and I’ve just been able to enjoy every second even until last week in Milan,” said de Minaur. “It’s been a dream come true, and I’m looking forward to next year.”

De Minaur began his 2018 campaign with a first tour-level semi-final in Brisbane and final in Sydney. He would carry the momentum to the ATP Challenger Tour, where he captured his maiden title in Nottingham in June. He reached his biggest final at the Citi Open, an ATP World Tour 500 event in Washington DC, and earned third-round finishes at Wimbledon and the US Open.

The Newcomer of the Year, as voted by players, is the #NextGenATP star who entered the Top 100 for the first time in 2018 (ATP Ranking as of 15 October) and made the biggest impact on the ATP World Tour this season.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/de ... f-the-year

[arti]

[Barty]

Finał NextGen ATP Finals 2018.

19-letni De Minaur po raz trzeci zagrał w zawodowym finale ATP i po raz trzeci musiał przełknąć gorycz porażki.

Alex de Minaur - przegrane finały (3):
2018 (3) NextGen ATP Finals, Waszyngton, Sydney

[Damian]

Ashleigh Barty and Alex De Minaur make Newcombe medal history

Spoiler:

Young guns Ashleigh Barty and Alex De Minaur have been named as joint winners of the Newcombe medal on a historic night for Australian tennis. Judges were unable to split the pair after both enjoyed stellar seasons, ensuring Australian tennis’ highest individual honour was shared for the first time in the award’s nine-year history.

Barty joins former US Open champion and French Open finalist Samantha Stosur (2010, 2011, 2012) as only the second multiple recipient after ending 2018 as Australia’s highest-ranked player at No 15 in the world.


Ash Barty tipped to join exclusive tennis grand slam club
Read more
Last year’s Newcombe medallist won the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, another singles title on grass in Nottingham as well as four doubles titles – including her maiden grand slam alongside American Coco Vandeweghe in New York.

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Barty amassed 46 singles wins for the season, reaching the Sydney final, semi-finals in Strasbourg, Montreal and Wuhan and making a career-best fourth-round run at the US Open in addition to her two title successes.

De Minaur could not be denied either after being named the ATP’s newcomer of the year following his meteoric rise from No 208 to a career-high 31st in the rankings in 2018.

The 19-year-old’s breakout season began with runs to the Brisbane semi-finals and Sydney final, which earned the teenager a Davis Cup debut, where he pushed then-world No 4 Alexander Zverev to five sets. He also reached the Washington final before rounding out his year with a runner-up showing at Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

US Open quarter-finalist John Millman, who climbed to a career-high No 33 in the world after his stunning win over Roger Federer at Flushing Meadows, and wheelchair champion Dylan Alcott, who won a sixth grand slam title this year, were the other nominees for the top gong on Monday night.

A highlight of the night at Melbourne’s Crown Casino was the presentation of the spirit of tennis award to retired ace Casey Dellacqua for her outstanding achievements both on and off the court.

Darren Cahill, who guided women’s world No 1 Simona Halep to her breakthrough grand slam crown at the French Open, won the coaching excellence award.

We have some news …
… three years ago, we knew we had to try to make The Guardian sustainable by deepening our relationship with our readers. The revenues from our newspaper had diminished and the technologies that connected us with a global audience had moved advertising money away from news organisations. We knew we needed to find a way to keep our journalism open and accessible to everyone, regardless of where they live or what they can afford.

And so, we have an update for you on some good news. Thanks to all the readers who have supported our independent, investigative journalism through contributions, membership or subscriptions, we are starting to overcome the urgent financial situation we were faced with. Today we have been supported by more than a million readers around the world. Our future is starting to look brighter. But we have to maintain and build on that level of support for every year to come, which means we still need to ask for your help.

Ongoing financial support from our readers means we can continue pursuing difficult stories in the challenging times we are living through, when factual reporting has never been more critical. The Guardian is editorially independent – our journalism is free from commercial bias and not influenced by billionaire owners, politicians or shareholders. This is important because it enables us to challenge the powerful and hold them to account. With your support, we can continue bringing The Guardian’s independent journalism to the world.

If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps to support it, our future would be much more secure.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/ ... MP=soc_568

[DUN I LOVE]

Czekamy na więcej powodów do nagradzania w 2019. Nie jest to wprawdzie jakiś mój ulubieniec, ale za etykę pracy powinien zostać należycie wynagrodzony.

[arti]

De Minaur on the rise heading to AO19

Spoiler:

LAST November, before a well-earned vacation, Alex de Minaur stopped in at the ATP Finals in London to pick up his peer-voted gong for ATP Newcomer of the Year. But rather than reflect on a dream season in which he rocketed up the rankings from No.208 to No.31, the 19-year-old was looking ahead.

“This is incredible,” De Minaur exclaimed of London’s O2 Arena and the glittering, season-ending finale for the elite top eight. “I’ll do everything in my power to one day hopefully get here.”

If De Minaur’s breakout 2018 is any indication, his arrival in the top echelon could come a lot sooner than expected.

In a 2018 season studded with air-punching moments, it took the likes of Rafael Nadal, Marin Cilic and Alexander Zverev to stop the the 70kg stripling making an even more dramatic breakthrough.



Growing up, my idol was always Lleyton. His fighting ability and his never-say-die attitude are things that I’ve always wanted to replicate when I play.

Alex de Minaur




De Minaur made two ATP finals, reached the third rounds at both Wimbledon and the US Open, made a hugely impressive Davis Cup debut, won a first Challenger title at the Nottingham Open, played off for the Next Gen ATP title and, by October, overtook Nick Kyrgios as the new Aussie No.1. And all before he qualified for his driver’s licence.

“I never expected almost anything that happened this year,” said the competitive animal dubbed ‘Demon’ by his fellow Aussies, at the Next Gen Finals in Milan, his last event for 2018.

“It’s been a hell of a year. I’ve enjoyed every second of it and it’s given me a hunger for more.”

The second-youngest man in the top 100, De Minaur was another harbinger of change in 2018.

A year that had a ‘future-is-now’ tinge to it was capped by 21-year-old Alexander Zverev storming through the ATP Finals, upending Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to put the Old Guard on notice.

Born in Sydney to Spanish mother Esther and father Anibal, a native of Uruguay, De Minaur divides his time between his hometown and his parents’ base of Alicante, Spain, where he spent his formative tennis years, from ages five to 13. The family returned to Sydney in 2012, and De Minaur, the eldest of four children, remembers thinking: “I used to represent Spain but I always felt Australian.” His parents relocated to Spain in 2016 but Alex stayed in Sydney.

Embraced by Aussies who see him as Lleyton Hewitt’s natural successor - same undersized frame and outsized competitive spirit - De Minaur actually travels with Spaniard Adolfo Gutierrez, his coach since the Aussie was eight years old. “He’s pretty much watched me grow as a player and as a person as well. He knows my game insanely well.”




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16 Jan 18

Alex de Minaur celebrates winning set point against Tomas Berdych at the Australian Open 2018.



Alex de Minaur set point celebrations

Video 16 Jan 18
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Australian Open Logo

































But the Australian Davis Cup captain, who took De Minaur under his wing after watching him reach the 2016 Wimbledon junior final, is a powerful mentor. “Growing up, my idol was always Lleyton,” confirms De Minaur. “I remember watching him play and going outside onto the garage door and practising, trying to be like him. His fighting ability and his never-say-die attitude are things that I’ve always wanted to replicate when I play.”

Hewitt clearly sees his younger self in De Minaur, not least the hard-driving work ethic, and his belief in the youngster has had a big effect. “After every match he sends me a message and we have a bit of a chat,” De Minaur said in Milan. “And it’s been like that the whole year. So it’s pretty crazy.”

Like former No.1 Hewitt, the youngest-ever man to top the ATP rankings, De Minaur relies on counterpunching smarts, flinty fight and blazing speed to pressure opponents. “I had to develop a little bit of craft,” he recalls of gruelling days developing on Spanish clay. “I have to work harder for my points.”

Australia was where it all started for the teenager two summers ago. Brisbane was the site of his ATP debut, hometown Sydney brought his first main-tour win (over Benoit Paire) and, aged 17 at Australian Open 2017, he notched his first Grand Slam win, overcoming match points against Austrian Gerard Melzer to win in five sets.

Back in Brisbane last January, De Minaur upset world No.24 Milos Raonic en route to the semis. His maiden final in Sydney ended in defeat to fellow young gun Daniil Medvedev, but De Minaur was the ATP’s first back-to-back teenage semifinalist since Nadal in 2005. Tomas Berdych at Melbourne Park was a bridge too far, although De Minaur took a set off the world No.19, riding a delirious wave of crowd support in Melbourne Arena.

A very different challenge awaits at AO19. De Minaur will be one of the most-watched players at Melbourne Park, likely seeded for the first time at a major. Everyone will want a glimpse of his meteoric rise from first-round hopeful to Aussie leader and potential star. The future is now.

https://ausopen.com/articles/features/d ... ading-ao19

[arti]

Alex de Minaur dumny z Medalu Newcombe'a. "To sprawia, że jestem głodny, by sięgnąć po więcej"

Spoiler:

Medal Newcombe'a to nagroda przyznawana przez Australijski Związek Tenisa dla najlepszego tenisisty tego kraju w danym roku kalendarzowym. Patronem trofeum jest John Newcombe, jeden z najbardziej legendarnych australijskich tenisistów w dziejach, siedmiokrotny mistrz wielkoszlemowy w singlu i 17-krotny w deblu.



W tym roku nagroda miała dwóch laureatów. Zdaniem Tennis Australia, na Medal Newcombe'a w równym stopniu zasłużyli Alex de Minaur i Ashleigh Barty. - To tylko sprawia, że jestem głodny, by sięgnąć po więcej - przyznał laureat.









REKLAMA















19-latek z Sydney ma za sobą rewelacyjny sezon. Doszedł do finału turniejów w Sydney i w Waszyngtonie, dotarł do III rund wielkoszlemowych Wimbledonu oraz US Open, a w rankingu ATP wspiął się z 208. na 31. miejsce.



- W ostatnich występach w turniejach wielkoszlemowych pokazałem świetny tenis i udało mi się awansować do III rund. Teraz mam jasno zdefiniowany cel - chcę iść naprzód. Mam nadzieję, że będę pokonywał najlepszych i na pewno będę próbował dostać się do drugiego tygodnia imprezy Wielkiego Szlema - wyjawił.



- Ale do wszystkie podchodzę na zasadzie "dzień po dniu". I, dopóki będę się rozwijał na korcie oraz poza nim, to jestem przekonany, że moje wyniki będą widoczne - dodał Australijczyk.

https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/tenis/79110 ... -siegnac-p

[Damian]

2018 w liczbach:

Ranking: 31
Bilans meczów: 28-23
Tytuły: 0
Finały: 2 (Sydney, Waszyngton)
Zarobki: $1,229,030

[Lucas]

Rosną oczekiwania wobec Alexa de Minaura. Lleyton Hewitt uważa, że Australijczyk powinien to zaakceptować

Spoiler:

Alex de Minaur ma za sobą rewelacyjne miesiące. W 2018 roku 19-latek z Sydney doszedł do finału turniejów w Sydney i w Waszyngtonie, dotarł do III rund wielkoszlemowych Wimbledonu oraz US Open, a w rankingu ATP wspiął się z 208. na 31. miejsce. W nagrodę za swoją postawę otrzymał Medal Newcombe'a - nagrodę dla najlepszego tenisisty Australii.

De Minaur staje się coraz bardziej znaczącą postacią męskich rozgrywek, a wraz z tym rośnie presja i oczekiwania wobec niego. Australijscy kibice będą spodziewać się udanych występów, zwłaszcza w Australian Open, który zostanie rozegrany w połowie stycznia. Lleyton Hewitt, jego idol z lat dzieciństwa, a obecnie trener-konsultant, bardzo dobrze zdaje sobie z tego sprawę.


Na pewno będzie miał cel na swoich plecach, zwłaszcza że jest blisko, by w Australian Open być rozstawionym. Nadejdzie też presja i oczekiwania związane z występem w jego domowym turnieju wielkoszlemowym - powiedział obrazowo Hewitt w rozmowie z dziennikiem "The Age".

- Ale myślę, że jest to obszar, z którym daje sobie radę. Jednak, jeżeli mogę mu w tym jakoś pomóc, to jest to fakt, by to zaakceptował, a nie myślał, że ma to negatywny wpływ - dodał

https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/tenis/79131 ... alijczyk-p