De Minaur is feeling the pain in many ways

TENNIS star Alex de Minaur couldn’t get out of bed without suffering sharp abdominal pain this week but the top-ranked local hope was still determined to play in the Australian Open.

Calmer heads prevailed, however, leading the gutted 20year-old to confirm yesterday that he would miss the seasonopening grand slam at Melbourne Park next week.

De Minaur withdrew on Monday from the Adelaide International after he suffered an abdominal tear while playing five matches in an intense ATP Cup schedule.

He had daily treatment in a bid to play at Melbourne Park before accepting he would need at least four weeks to recover.

“It’s not great, I’m not going to lie … it’s pretty devastating to miss out on my home Slam,” de Minaur said.

“I wanted to go out there and play, even though I’ve got a 4cm grade-two tear.

“It’s not a joke – it’s something really serious. Pretty much everyone around me told me that I shouldn’t play and I was still planning on going out there and, if need be, serving underarm or at 120km/h or do whatever I can.

“I just did not want to miss playing here.

“But the long-term risks if it got worse (were too great), so it was the smart decision and the right decision.”

The injury is a new one but is the third abdominal tear he’s suffered at the start of a season.

The world No.21 said he and his team would analyse his calendar and make alterations if required.

De Minaur revealed he first felt discomfort in the second of his five matches at the ATP Cup. He didn’t think much of it right up to his last match when he pushed world No.1 Rafael Nadal to three sets, but scans this week revealed the bad news.

Even so, de Minaur doesn’t regret his role in Australia’s stirring run to the ATP Cup semi-finals.

“I certainly prepared for the amount of tennis I played,” he said. “It’s just that my matches went for a very long time. It’s just playing for your country – it’s a different feeling.”