Demon faces group of death
AUSTRALIA’S top-ranked men’s player Alex de Minaur is embracing the challenge of being part of the ATP Cup’s answer to the “group of death”.
The star-studded, 16-country tournament begins in Sydney on Saturday but Australia opens against title favourite Italy on Sunday night.
Russian world No.5 Andrey Rublev and Austrian star Dominic Thiem withdrawing helped Australia’s cause but the group’s incredible depth still means the host nation faces a huge task to advance.
France replaced Austria in the group, joining Australia, Italy and defending champion Russia.
De Minaur, 22, will lock horns with Russia’s world No.2 Daniil Medvedev, Italy’s seventh-ranked Matteo Berrettini and France’s Ugo Humbert, who is ranked No.35.
Australia’s other team members are big improver James Duckworth and doubles trio John Peers, Luke Saville and Max Purcell.
De Minaur has a 0-5 head-to-head record against his three projected opponents but hopes playing in his “backyard” will work in his favour.
“I think this is the beauty of the ATP Cup at the start of year,” de Minaur said. “I’ve experienced it before and it’s a great way to kind of see where I’m at.
“These are the kinds of matches I want to be playing, so it’s a great challenge for me. We put in a very good pre-season and I’ve been working really hard, so hopefully I can go out there and perform.”
De Minaur, who has been as high as 15 in the world but is back at No.34, is used to such a daunting set of opponents as Australia’s top men’s player.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Roberto Bautista Agut were his ATP Cup opponents a year ago, while Rafael Nadal, Alex Zverev, Denis Shapovalov and Dan Evans were on the menu in the 2020 edition. Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt said it was “an extremely tough group” but wanted his players to thrive as the “underdogs”.
“This gives these guys the opportunity to play at home, which is something that I’ve spoken about with Davis Cup that these guys really miss out on,” Hewitt said.