Alex de Minaur heads to Wimbledon relaxed, refreshed and with ‘no excuses’

Alex de Minaur says the downcast figure he posed in Paris is a thing of the past, replaced by a rejuvenated optimist at Wimbledon who has put himself first.

But Australia’s main man is not about to make any predictions about another stirring run to match his surge to the quarters last year at Wimbledon, saying: “It’s now up to my tennis to do the talking.”

Questions have swirled around de Minaur’s form and confidence since his dejected second-round exit at Roland Garros was followed by him losing his only tour grass-court match of the season at Queen’s Club.

Back at another grand slam after a revitalising break in London that featured golf, relaxation around Wimbledon with fiancee Katie Boulter and a lone exhibition win over fellow Aussie Alexei Popyrin, de Minaur sounded a bit more like his normal chipper self.

He admitted his return to his favoured surface had been a bit tentative this year as he recalled the freakish hip injury, caused by “an unnecessary slide” at the end of his Wimbledon fourth-round win over Arthur Fils that eventually stopped him taking the court against Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

“But I’ve been able to really start to feel comfortable again and start to move the way I was last year, and not be afraid to kind of go out there and slide, which is a very good sign for me,” said 11th seed de Minaur, who will begin his campaign on Tuesday against Spain’s world number 74 Roberto Carballes Baena.

De Minaur took an enforced break after the disappointment of the French Open, something he believes has put him in a much better position for the season’s third major.

“I was able to take a step back, accept what has happened, and put myself first for the first time in a while, and I think that was quite crucial,” he said.

“And even though it didn’t bring out the result I wanted in Queen’s [being beaten by eventual finalist Jiri Lehecka], I do now feel in a very good head space going into Wimbledon.

“I feel refreshed. I feel full of energy. And now it’s up to my tennis to do the talking, right? But there’s no excuses, whether physically or mentally. I feel like I’m ready to go.”

De Minaur’s lapse at Roland Garros, when he was two sets up against Alexander Bublik and then felt he lost his way, was a rare recent grand slam calamity for the 26-year-old, who had reached at least the last 16 in his six previous majors.

Reflecting that he could give himself a “pat on the back” for that consistency, he also admitted his constant demanding schedule eventually took a toll.

“I think I speak for the vast majority of tennis players [by saying] that ideally what we would like to have is a shorter schedule that allows us to have a proper off-season,” he said.

“So I would shorten the schedule and give players more time off at the end of the year, and then you would see less injuries, over-use injuries and less mental fatigue, which will allow a better level as a whole for the tour, for the spectator, for the sport, and a better atmosphere for everyone.”

AAP