Australian star Alex de Minaur knows that he has a target on his back and believes the pressure that comes with being a top 10 player will propel him to further heights as he seeks a Wimbledon breakthrough.
In an all Australian clash between ‘The Demon’ and ‘The Duck’ at Wimbledon on Tuesday, the world No.9 was properly tested by James Duckworth before prevailing 7-6 (1) 7-6 (3 7-6 (4).
While the 25-year-old struggled to convert a multitude of break points that would have made life easier against Duckworth, the Australian No. 1s greater poise in tiebreakers proved the difference in a match lasting 3hr 4min that was twice interrupted by rain.
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“It’s the aim of the game really, right? Ultimately, it’s a good position to be in,” de Minaur said.
“And I don’t think it’s just (the Aussies targetting me). I think the rest of the field now see me it as a chance to have a crack at me. It’s good because ultimately it means a lot of these players are playing against you with not a lot to lose.
“Therefore … you’ve got to always bring your level if you want to get through and that’s what makes you even tougher (and) gives you even more confidence about being able to squeak through tough moments. It definitely helped (in the) tiebreaker.”
Joining de Minaur in the second round is Alexei Popyrin, who was too good for Thiago Monteiro 6-4 6-7 (6) 6-3 6-4 in a match lasting 2hr 34min, while Adam Walton won his first grand slam match when defeating Federico Coria 6-3 6-3 7-5.
Jordan Thompson and Aleks Vukic won their opening round matches on Monday, as did Daria Saville. Thanasi Kokkinakis is still alive after saving match points in the third set against 17th seed Felix Auger Aliassime, with the match halted at 6-4 7-5 6-7 (9) 1-1.
Ajla Tomljanovic failed to back up her strong form in Birmingham when beaten 6-1 6-2 by former Roland Garros champion and one-time rival Jelena Ostapenko, while Olivia Gadecki fell short in her Wimbledon debut when beaten 6-4 6-4 by Robin Montgomery.
Rinky Hijikata fell to Flavio Cobolli 7-5 4-6 6-4 6-4 while Chris O’Connell was well beaten by Taylor Fritz 6-1 6-2 6-4.
Both de Minaur and Duckworth had their moments in a scrappy affair played in tricky conditions, with the court surface slippery and the balls heavier due to the drizzle that fell at various stages on a grey, wintry day in the English capital.
Duckworth served for the second and third sets, only for the Davis Cup star to rally at the death to set up a clash with Spaniard Jaume Munar, who he recently defeated at Roland Garros.
Duckworth lamented after his loss that he had failed to serve anywhere near his best, though his ability to find strong serves when under pressure was a factor in his ability to extend his rival.
But he was also certain de Minaur played far below his peak form as well and said the dual-grand slam quarterfinalist is more than capable of enjoying a deep run at Wimbledon.
“I don’t think it was his best match. He’d probably say that as well. He could have played better, for sure,” Duckworth said.
“(But it was the) first round (against) another Aussie. (He may have been) nervous and he hasn’t played a match for 10 days or so. So a number of factors go into that.
“But he’s a very good player, especially on this surface. He’s only going to get better, I think, from this match and, yeah, I hope he wins the tournament.”
A couple of critical areas ensured de Minaur’s team, who were sitting courtside, and Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, who was positioned not too far away, remained on the edge of their seats despite the chill of the day.
The 25-year-old’s inability to make the most of his opportunities on the Duckworth serve – he converted just three of 19 break points – enabled the veteran to not only stay with him but also put him under pressure at different stages in the second and third sets.
“It’s one of those matches … that can easily turn on its head, right? I feel like I had a lot of chances. Maybe if I played those points a little bit better, then the match looks a little bit different,” he said.
“But again, it is never easy playing a fellow Aussie, playing ‘Ducks’, who is a great grass court player. And again, starting your Wimbledon campaign, it’s not easy, but I’m happy to be through.”
De Minaur, who is the winner of two ATP Tour titles this year, may have been slightly rusty given a gap of a fortnight between matches.
But credit must go to Duckworth, who performed well in Germany early in the grass court season, for his resistance. While he may not have found the precision he was seeking on his first serve in general, he continued to produce quality points under extreme pressure.
De Minaur, too, was less consistent on his first serve with a strike-rate below 50 percent in the first two sets, though when he landed the delivery, he tended to win most of the points against his 78th ranked rival.
The Sydneysider has won all three of his meetings against Munar on the main ATP Tour, including the straight sets win at Roland Garros, after the Spaniard had the better of him on lower-tier circuits around Spain when they were teenagers.
Popyrin, meanwhile, was delighted with the way he moved after claiming his first win at Wimbledon since 2019 when too strong for Monteiro.
After exiting Roland Garros when beaten in five sets by Thanasi Kokkinakis, he spent the next couple of weeks working on his footwork on grass and believes he is reaping the rewards for his diligence.
“It’s a lot more like smaller steps … on the recovery and stuff, to try not to keep the feet too wide, because then you’d slip,” he said.
“And … I grew up on hard courts and clay courts and take long strides (and) you slide on the clay courts. And I think I’m really good at that.
“But on the grass (you have to) take small steps. It’s not easy for me. I have to get lower also. So that’s also something we worked on in the gym and it just all kind of came together.”
Every experience, meanwhile, is new for Walton, who only walked through the gates of the All England Lawn Tennis Club for the first time last Friday.
“I saw the draw and I was like, ‘Okay, I didn’t want to see my name against the seed’. So when I was not playing a seed, I was very happy about that,” he said.
“And then I just tried to prepare my best over the weekend, and ultimately, I played a really solid match today and come out on top, which I’m really happy about.
“This is obviously my third crack at trying to win (a grand slam match) and to finally get over the line and win today was really awesome.”
On Monday night, the Queenslander laid out his white clothes carefully to ensure he did not forget anything but then, with family and friends in Queensland and college mates in the US tuning in, produced a composed performance to defeat Coria.
“Last night I was packing my bag and I was actually very nervous to not forget anything, because it’s not as easy as just grabbing another shirt,” he said.
“Like, it’s got to be all white. You need white wristbands, white socks, white everything. And I didn’t forget anything, which was good.”
Walton’s prize is a clash with another Wimbledon debutant Francisco Comesana, who upset No.6 seed Andrey Rublev 6-4 5-7 6-2 7-6 (5).
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