Alex de Minaur reflects on a career-best 2024 season, which saw him return from a potentially season-ending injury to qualify for the elite ATP Finals.
Melbourne, VIC, 29 November 2024 | Jackson Mansell
When Alex de Minaur secured victory against Arthur Fils in the fourth round of Wimbledon 2024, 15,000 No.1 Court spectators were in awe.
A down-the-line forehand from Fils was a sure winner, until an outstretched volley at the net from the Aussie squashed any hope of the match continuing.
In that moment, everything seemed to be falling into place for Demon. As a maiden quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, he was in the best form to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal. An overdue breakthrough seemed imminent for the 25-year-old … until it wasn’t.
There was no sign of elation from the Aussie following his win over Fils. A limp and monotone reaction told half the story, while a shake of the head to his box confirmed it. De Minaur’s Wimbledon campaign was in jeopardy.
A cartilage tear on his hip forced De Minaur to withdraw from the tournament ahead of the quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic. It not only halted a potentially groundbreaking Grand Slam run but placed his season in doubt.
De Minaur was sidelined until the US Open where, impressively, he reached the final eight at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2020. The New South Welshman re-aggravated his injury during his quarterfinal match against Jack Draper, with many fearing he would miss the rest of the season.
However, a return to action at the European Open in mid-October reignited a sense of belief in the Aussie No.1’s hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals hopes. A semifinal appearance at the Vienna Open, followed by a Paris Masters quarterfinal run, helped De Minaur punch his ticket to the prestigious eight-man event in Turin.
With a year-end ranking of world No.9, De Minaur could reflect positively on 2024 and the adversity he had overcome.
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“It’s a great feeling. Ultimately a career milestone, a moment that I didn’t really know was going to be possible with everything I dealt with this year,” he said as he prepared to make his ATP Finals debut. “It’s been a great season for me, a breakthrough season in which I’ve dealt with a lot of adversity at the same time.
“Obviously, I would have loved to come here in…
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