Andre Agassi: 'De Minaur is excellent fighter, he will make Aussies proud'
At the end of it, Alex was ranked just outside the top-30, motivated and eager to show even more in 2019, something he has already achieved. Last week in Sydney, de Minuar won his first ATP title, ousting Andreas Seppi in two tight sets on Saturday just a few hours after the semi-final triumph over Gilles Simon, completing a double action and heading to Melbourne where he was scheduled to play his first-round match at the Australian Open.
Alex defeated Pedro Sousa in straight sets, taking a much-needed day off on Tuesday before surviving a stern Henri Laaksonen test in five sets and four hours on Wednesday, setting the third round clash with the world no. 2 Rafael Nadal.
He currently stands as the top-ranked Australian player and their biggest hope in the tournament after Nick Kyrgios fell in the opening round, hoping to produce a miracle and find strength in his body and mind to challenge Nadal under the lights of the Rod Laver Arena.
Alex already had a chance to play against the Spaniard on the big Wimbledon stage and he will try to use that experience and show the tennis world his fantastic quickness, stamina and the spirit of a champion once again. The four-time Australian Open champion Andre Agassi has been in Melbourne as a coach for the second year in a row and he praised the young Aussie, saying he is an amazing competitor and he will make Australia proud in the future.
Also, aware of everything Alex has been through in the last ten days and his next rival, Andre suggests he must not hesitate against Nadal or turn the match into a physical battle but to be brave and attack. Last July, de Minaur won just seven games against the Spaniard but this should be a tighter match if he brings his A game and finds some extra energy in his body.
Hell of a competitor, obviously. Hes going to make you guys really proud. Already has, . Obviously his movement is fantastic. Theres a lot he can do physically, I think, that he can do to make him a better player as he gets older and stronger.
As of right now, hes just going to wreak havoc on guys just by giving them fits. So once he gets older and stronger, thats going to be a big change in his future. The reward for playing a tough match is playing Nadal.
That doesnt seem very fair. So if hes feeling it all, hes going to need to live with conviction, take chances and not hesitate because if he just gets into a physical battle, thats probably a losing proposition.
