‘I take it as fuel to the fire’: Behind the scenes of Demon’s Open eve training session
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size It’s 12.30pm on Australian Open eve, and Alex de Minaur is on his back stretching in the bowels of Melbourne Park as he prepares for a hit with Jannik Sinner. De Minaur’s fiancee, British star Katie Boulter, has popped into the player gym to see him, but disappears almost as quickly as she arrived. Most of “Team Demon” are here: Coach Adolfo Gutierrez, assistant coach Matt Reid, strength and conditioning coach Emilio Poveda Pagan, and his jack-of-all-trades manager Kathryn Oyeniyi. Alex de Minaur warms up for his hit with Jannik Sinner. Credit: Eddie Jim Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt and Jaymon Crabb shuffle in soon after. De Minaur has granted this masthead exclusive access to his Open eve training session, to see and hear what goes on away from the public eye, and how he hones his fitness and reflexes ahead of his first round meeting with formidable Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp. At age 25, the Australian is at the peak of his powers.AdvertisementDe Minaur broke new personal ground to reach three grand slam quarter-finals last year, becoming the first Australian – man or woman – to do so in the same season since Hewitt two decades earlier. No local man has won the Australian Open singles title since Mark Edmondson in 1976; Hewitt was the most-recent finalist in 2005. “I couldn’t think of anything better than to finish the next couple weeks with the title. That would be a lifetime goal, a dream come true from a little kid,” de Minaur told this masthead. “I also know it’s extremely difficult. De Minaur is out to improve on his quarter-final at last year’s Open. Credit: Chris Hopkins “[But] I think there’s always a chance because I’m a different version of myself, and a player who can now put myself in that position to be one of those guys who can put their hands up, and be ready to take that opportunity.” De Minaur does not have the gym to himself.AdvertisementFormer top-20 players Reilly Opelka and Alexander Bublik are locked in conversation, while reigning women’s finalist Zheng Qinwen is doing an intense warm-up. She, too, is about to step on court for a practice session. This final half hour before getting on court is about de Minaur and Poveda Pagan. Everyone else in the team is chatting among themselves in a separate corner of the room. De Minaur prepares to hit with Jannik Sinner. Credit: Eddie Jim Poveda Pagan runs de Minaur through a battery of warm-up exercises, using bands, an adjustable weight bench, and variously sized medicine balls. He explains, in Spanish, what he wants de Minaur to do each time. There is throwing, twisting and pulling from various angles and positions, to ensure Australia’s best tennis player is ready to go.AdvertisementThe strength and conditioning guru is one of the longest-serving members of de Minaur’s team. He is arguably even more critical since the hip injury that threatened to derail the world No.8’s breakout season. De Minaur sustained a tear at the insertion of the adductor longus muscle, on his right side, into the fibrocartilage on the third-last point of his fourth-round Wimbledon win last year over France’s Arthur Fils. What should have been a career highlight turned into a nightmare. Behind the scenes with de Minaur. Credit: Eddie Jim Two days later, de Minaur announced he had withdrawn from his blockbuster quarter-final with Novak Djokovic. He managed to play doubles at the Paris Olympics, but not singles, and did not appear again after that until the US Open in late August. Heroically, de Minaur somehow advanced to the last eight in New York for the second time in his career despite his famed court coverage being visibly diminished.AdvertisementAnother extended absence from the tour followed. He was still playing in pain, and his movement remained limited, once he returned for his successful last-ditch attempt to qualify for the eight-man ATP Finals in Turin, and to play in the Davis Cup. “Playing in Turin was one of the most frustrating times that I’ve had,” de Minaur said. “I’ve achieved something so amazing, but at the same time, I can’t compete against the best players in the world if I’m not 100 per cent fit. It was quite a tough way to finish the year, even with Davis Cup, by not being able to help my country, which I take so much pride in. De Minaur is famed for his physical fitness. Credit: Eddie Jim “Finishing the year with six straight losses was something I’ve never done in my career. Mentally, it was pretty tough. I was losing to top-10 players, but it still was unsettling.”Advertisement
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