Led by world No.9 Alex de Minaur, an 11-strong contingent of Australian men are proud to spur each other along at Wimbledon 2024.
London, Great Britain, 1 July 2024 | Vivienne Christie
There’s a powerful sense of community among the 11-strong contingent of Australians who’ll contest the men’s Wimbledon singles draw this fortnight.
With shared coaches, joint practice sessions, collective dinners and some spirited card games in their off-court hours, the tight-knit group can be mates as they strive for individual success.
Few demonstrate that camaraderie better than Australian No.1 Alex de Minaur, who in a quirk of the draw, faces veteran countryman James Duckworth in The Championships first round.
Originally drawn to face Corentin Moutet, De Minaur is instead preparing for an all-Aussie battle after Duckworth gained a lucky loser spot when the French lefthander withdrew through injury.
For the FOURTH Grand Slam in a row, there will be an all-Aussie showdown in the first round 🇦🇺#Wimbledonhttps://t.co/fvz3oDigV7
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) June 30, 2024
It prompted happy memories from De Minaur’s junior years, when the then-teenager would enthusiastically ask a willing Duckworth to allocate time to practice.
“I’ve been so incredibly fortunate with how all of the guys have kind of taken me in when I was really young. I mean, all of them were so nice to me. So receptive,” said De Minaur, noting that Jordan Thompson and the now-retired John Millman and Sam Groth were equally influential at that pivotal development stage.
“It’s been great to be able to improve with them and I just think that’s probably the best way to describe the Aussie culture, right? Bringing each other up is pretty cool.”
> READ: Australians handed tough draws at Wimbledon
Duckworth has equally fond memories of that time.
“I think the first time I hit with him was February 2015 – I was (ranked) about 105 or 110 in the world, and he was 15 (years old),” the world No.78 Duckworth said.
“He just said to me, ‘I’d love to practise with you as much as you want. As long as you’re here, just let me know when you want to hit and I’ll hit with you.’ And I was like, ‘wow, this guy, he really wants it!’”
“Every session he turned out and just tried his arse off. And he was pretty skinny and light at that stage and didn’t hit a big ball and I was beating him in most points but there was no carry…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Tennis.com.au – Tennis Australia…