Alex de Miñaur, Davis Cup finalist with Australia, recalled that he brings "a little bit of Spanish blood to the team" and for this reason he hopes to have the support of the Martín Carpena de Málaga crowd and "listen to the public on Sunday" in their fight for the salad bowl. The son of a Uruguayan and a woman from Madrid, born in Sydney 23 years ago but raised in Alicante, De Miñaur admitted that in Friday's semifinal against the Croats, "as Croatia had beaten Spain" he wanted to take "revenge" and put the public on his side. He fulfilled his part with an outstanding win over Marin Cilic 6-2 6-2.
"We are very far from Australia and there will not be many people who have been able to travel, so thanks to all the people from Malaga who are cheering us on and I hope to hear from you on Sunday," he said in a meeting with the Spanish press on the eve of the final. "Obviously I'm playing for Australia, but we have a little bit of Spanish blood in the team," he recalled.
De Minaur, number 24 player in the world, declared himself happy for the "very high-level tennis" that his team has played, which first eliminated the Netherlands in the quarterfinals and then got rid of Croatia, runner-up in 2021, in the semifinals. The final will be against Italy or Canada. "The whole team has sacrificed to be here," stressed the Australian number one in Malaga.
It will be the first final for his country in 19 years, after the one he beat Spain in 2003, of which he has no memories. "But we have seen it on video just before playing here and the truth is that it is something very special and it would be something incredible for us to fulfill this dream," said De Minaur, who boasts "incredible confidence in the team."
"I know that we are going to leave everything on the track, it is all that we can demand of ourselves," he said, anticipating a "very tough" battle against any of the possible finalists, with many of whom he has "grown" as a player.
The Australian indicated on his victory against Cilic that his game improves when he is able to combine solidity and aggressiveness, in doses that depend, he said, on each game.
"You have to see who you play against, what type of tactic is best for that day. There are games in which, with being solid, you have enough and games in which you have to be aggressive because, if not, the rivals are going to attack you and make you run all the time," he explained. "What I'm very happy about is that I'm getting a good balance between the two aspects. I'm improving a lot in my game."
Replicating that good game from the clash against Cilic is, he said, "what I'm trying to do in every match I play on the ATP." "I've had a pretty good year, in which I've won more games than any other (45/24), so I just need to take that step in the big tournaments to make the jump to the top-15 or top-10" he pointed out.
In the Grand Slams this season, De Minaur reached the round of 16 in Australia, lost in the first round at Roland Garros, also made the round of 16 at Wimbledon and lost in the round of 16 at the US Open. The one in Atlanta was his only title.
In the Davis Cup he arrived in Malaga with only one defeat, precisely against Cilic, in ten games, but he erased that stain in the semifinals on Friday and, with his youth, he can beat the record of 59 victories held by his captain Hewitt. "It's still too early to think about it," he said. "The only thing I want is to give my country and my teammates a victory. When I enter the court I only think about what I have in front of me, another game, give it my all and finish the tie or give us the option of staying alive and playing twice ".
"The good thing about our team," he assured before the final, "is that we have many options." For this reason, he was not surprised by the change introduced by Hewitt in the semifinal double, by entering Jordan Thompson instead of Matthew Ebden, Max Purcell's regular partner.
"I would have complete confidence in anyone on the team who had played that doubles," De Minaur said. "We are all at a very high level and with a lot of confidence. Yesterday it happened that Jordan and Max played and they had an incredible game against one of the best couples in the world. That's why", he highlighted, "you see that the Davis Cup is a different competition. You are playing for your team, for your country."
