By Martyn Herman
LONDON (Reuters) – Most players would relish the chance to play on Wimbledon’s Centre Court but Australian Alex De Minaur is quite happy on the second-biggest arena at the All England Club.
For the third round in succession the 23-year-old was scheduled on Court One on Saturday and again he found it very much to his liking as he beat British wildcard Liam Broady 6-3 6-4 7-5 to reach the last 16 for the first time.
The 19th seed will face Chile’s Cristian Garin next as he bids to reach only his second Grand Slam quarter-final.
“I don’t think I’m going to have that much power,” De Minaur said when asked whether he would request another Court One slot.
“I would love to. I’ll say it right now: I would do almost anything to play on Court One, but I have a feeling I might not get that request.
“If it’s possible, I’ll cherish every moment. I have played all my matches there, so it’s a pretty special feeling. I have grown to really like that court.”
If he keeps going he will definitely end up on Centre Court at some point but his main focus is that he is now showing his best at a Grand Slam, something that has not always been the case apart from at the 2020 U.S. Open.
“This has always been a goal of mine for a while now, to try to make second week of slams,” De Minaur said. “Because I feel like I’ve shown great level throughout the year, but when it came to slams, I kind of haven’t shown my best tennis or haven’t been able to crack through that first week.”
“Doesn’t have to be pretty, doesn’t have to be flawless. But, you know, once you’re in a second week of a slam, you’re getting closer to the goal.”
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Clare Fallon)
