Max Purcell column: Why Alex de Minaur is poised for a deep Australian Open run and finish the year inside top five

During the 2022 Korean Challenger series, when I was re-starting my singles focus, John and I shared a motivating discussion, one I still think about today. His exact words were, “I want to see you at these big tournaments in singles. You ARE good enough. Yes, you are good at doubles, but you can get there in singles.”

The chat was significant enough to influence how my 2023 singles success manifested.

So, Mr Millman, thanks for the inspiration. By retiring you have robbed me of the chance to square our head to head record (0-2) and the tour loses one of its most liked characters. Best of luck with whatever you’re doing next.

Same tournament, new goal

This year has a different feel compared to past AOs. It’s the first time I am starting in main draw and play the lead in events in Brisbane and Auckland instead of the grind through AO qualifying.

I had a hard pre-season in Bali and continued many workouts with my current coach Heals (Nathan Healy). I gained a healthy dose of confidence from both my tournament results and year-end ranking in 2023. This year, the Open is less about just making the numbers in the draw rather than an opportunity to draw on the energy and support of the passionate Aussie crowds and try to make a deeper run.

I have experience playing on the big courts at Melbourne Park in doubles and I would love to do the same in singles sooner rather than later. I will be playing Máté Valkusz from Hungary, who has won three consecutive matches to qualify for the main draw. We have never played each other but Heals and I will develop a suitable gameplan. Come match time, I will be ready to battle regardless (for the 2024 season, I am wearing LSKD gear).

Things didn’t go according to plan in Brisbane and Auckland (I blame the bad coffees) but I think my game is coming together nicely for next week. I was able to have an extra practice match on Thursday when I was called in to replace Stan Warwinka at the Kooyong Classic. I played Zhang Zhizhen from China, where we split two sets 6-7 and 6-4. It was nice to get a feel for the conditions in Melbourne before things kick off on Sunday.

Team Thommo

I’m happy for my mate and doubles partner Thommo (Jordan Thompson) having a strong start to the year. I thought we were contenders for the doubles title in Brisbane, but Thommo was cooked after his upset defeat of Rafa Nadal then physically having to back up less than 24 hours later to face a red hot Grigor Dimitrov.

Thommo and I will be playing doubles together again in Melbourne. We both enjoy having some fun on the doubles court away from the stress and seriousness of singles.

Bold predictions

Here are some of my thoughts (my own game excluded) for this year’s tournament.

Men’s singles: It’s hard to go past Novak. I might be stating the obvious but the guy is an absolute machine. His professionalism on court and off court is off the charts. Carlos Alacraz is a notable mention. Obviously, he is a weapon; a fantastic athlete and his game suits all surfaces. Regardless of the Australian conditions of court speed and tennis balls, I think he will adapt easily, and I don’t see many bad results. The added intrigue in regards to how Carlos progresses is that he is not defending any ranking points, meaning a deep run could result in him finishing the tournament as world No. 1.

Women’s singles: This one is more difficult. Iga Swiatek deserves respect as the world No.1 and on a 16-match winning streak dating back to September last year at the China Open. Aryna Sabalenka is the defending champion and has made the semis of every other slam. She benefits from being seeded second and is destined to meet Ons Jabeur should they both survive. Complicating matters further is Coco Gauff, US Open Champion. She comes to Melbourne on a five-match winning streak, having taken out the Auckland title last week.

Men’s dark horse: Alex de Minaur. The Demon has been playing bloody well recently and deserves a big congratulations for cracking the top 10. Within the Australian Davis Cup squad, we all knew Demon would eventually get there. His work ethic is world class, always in the gym after hard training sessions on court, doing the right things for his body and, most importantly, a great friend and good bloke to chat with.

He is the lead player and glue in our team. He is the player everyone wants to rock up for and show him that we are behind him. I look up to Alex a lot even though he is a year younger than me. I always try to get as much time around him as possible at training and tournaments. He never refuses a doubles request from me and has done me a few favours getting us into bigger tournaments.

I am super pumped that he has entered the top 10 but I don’t think that’s where the story finishes. I think this will be a top five ranking season for Alex. The courts at Melbourne Park and these tennis balls suit the way he plays and his agility and movement is really good at the moment.

He is bound and primed to hurt a few players and is Australia’s biggest chance of winning it.

I’d love to see that.

Women’s dark horse: I will be interested to see how Naomi Osaka performs after time off (it is definitely strange regarding her as a dark horse given all she has achieved). Dasha (Daria Saville) is another to watch, although I might be slightly biased here because she is married to my best mate Slugs (Luke Saville).

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Three-peat for Aussie men’s doubles: Hmmm … difficult but not impossible (and good luck to Rinky and Jason defending their title). Never count us Aussies out. Thommo and I might even make a deep run; we will just have to wait and see how the draw unfolds. Also, I would definitely rate Matt Ebden as one of the leading contenders for the mixed doubles title. He knows how to win them.

Enjoy the Australian Open.

Max