	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED BY SUNCORP

January 3, 2018

Alex De Minaur

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

A. DE MINAUR/M. Raonic

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Do you believe it yet?
ALEX DE MINAUR: Well, it's started to sink in a bit. It hasn't fully sunk yet.

But, look, I'm going to go back, have some dinner with the team, hopefully be able to sleep tonight. And, you know, tomorrow morning I'll wake up and I reckon I'll finally believe what just happened today.

Q. What's the last half an hour or so been like?
ALEX DE MINAUR: Tremendous high. You know, high and a little bit of chaos as well. Just went and did my recovery, had a shower, had a little bit of a chat with the team, and now I'm here.

Q. You obviously are going in with self-belief. You have to. But did you actually see that match panning out as it did before you went in?
ALEX DE MINAUR: Look, probably not. But at the end of the day, you've got to into every match believing that you can win.

I just go out to every match the same, trying to play my game, leave it all out there. And, you know, that way you're going to get yourself into a lot of matches and get yourself a lot of opportunities.

And it's all about taking those small opportunities, which I feel like I did today, and it helped me get the biggest win in my career.

Q. (Indiscernible.)
ALEX DE MINAUR: I think both of my matches here and even the Australian wildcard playoff I have played some unbelievable tennis. I don't think my level has dropped at all during the matches.

So that's something I'm very proud of because that's one of the biggest goals for turning 18 was to maintain my level against, you know, these higher ranked opponents, because they're not going to give you too many chances.

So I'm really proud of where my tennis is at. And obviously, this has given me a little bit of confidence.

Q. Has something clicked to make that happen or have you worked on something specifically to make that happen at this time of year?
ALEX DE MINAUR: Look, I just think I'm a stronger player, both mentally and physically, and that helps a lot. Every day, you know, during preseason, working your butt off, it pays off. You know, hard work at the end of the day pays off.

So I go with the attitude that every day is another chance to get better at some aspect of your game. And that's sort of the attitude I take, and that's been helping me out during the Australian summer so far.

Q. How big a help is Lleyton for this match considering what you had to do to win? Can you talk about the Blue Wall?
ALEX DE MINAUR: Well, that's sort of a New South Wales thing. He would like to be part of a Blue Wall, but I don't think he is yet.

No, but he's unbelievable help. A lot of belief really, you know. And one of the first things he ever told me was to believe in myself, that I've got a good enough game to be battling it out with these guys.

But it's all about me believing it. I think, you know, that's finally happening and I'm very proud of even all the work I'm doing off court as well. That's, I think, really helping me on court and you can see the results now.

Q. Does he give you a bit more than just being a mentor tennis? Is he sort of like a father figure?
ALEX DE MINAUR: Look, it's a bit of everything. He's obviously been through everything that tennis has to offer, so he knows how to deal with so many different scenarios.

He obviously helps me with those scenarios, how to deal with expectations and pressures and, you know, just playing big guys.

It's all there. He gives me a lot of advice, and the only thing I do is take it all in.

Q. What did he say to you after the game?
ALEX DE MINAUR: That was bloody incredible.

I think he was proud of my performance and, you know, so is my whole team, and myself included as well.

Q. Can you just explain what the blue wall is?
ALEX DE MINAUR: So Blue Wall is what the New South Wales state of origin team calls themselves.

And it's sort of a mindset of trying to, you know, be a brick wall potentially. Just not giving anything away, not giving anything cheap away, and just pretty much leaving it all out there.

So that's what I like to think Blue Wall is. So that's what us New South Welshmen try to do while we're on the court.

Q. You realize you're in Queensland, right?
ALEX DE MINAUR: Yeah, I know. I know that. Look, we haven't had the best record, but, look, it's the thought that counts.

Q. With Milos, did you sense at all during when you sort of had him rattled and had him thinking twice?
ALEX DE MINAUR: Look, I had a lot of chances. I knew if I could just keep on applying pressure, you know, I was going to have those looks. And I had a couple looks early on, which I didn't take advantage of.

And then, in the second set, I had a couple looks as well that I didn't take advantage of, but then they finally dropped in.

So I think that was just that constant pressure of me making a lot of returns and trying to be in every single one of his service games and taking care of my service games.

Q. Do you know much about your next opponent?
ALEX DE MINAUR: Michael Mmoh, yeah, I played him in juniors. I know him quite well. It's going to be a very fun match. Two young guys battling it out. Can't get much better than that.

So I'm really looking forward to it, and we'll see what happens.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297