Alex de Minaur has made a winning start to his 2026 Australian Open campaign in Melbourne.
De Minaur has big goals for the 2026 season, with the Australian currently at his career-high ranking of world number six.
These goals were put at risk when De Minaur was handed a brutal first round Australian Open draw against former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.
However, after Berrettini withdrew due to injury, De Minaur was given a new opponent in lucky loser Mackenzie McDonald.
After beating McDonald, 6-2 6-2 6-3, De Minaur spoke about how the Australian Open is different to other tennis tournaments.
Alex de Minaur admits what took time for him to get used to at the Australian Open
De Minaur has previously been critical of the Australian Open, and is coming into this year’s tournament as by far the highest ranked player from his nation in the men’s singles draw.
When asked about the nerves he felt coming into his first round match, De Minaur spoke about how Grand Slams present different challenges in the build-up compared to tournaments on the ATP Tour.
“Yeah, look, I mean, the thing about the slams, the Australian Open, in particular, is I feel like even the draw, it comes out a lot earlier than other tournaments,” said De Minaur.
“And then any other tournament that’s not a Grand Slam, you go about your business. The draw comes out. Oh, you gotta play whoever you gotta play, and that’s it, right?
“In a Grand Slam the draw comes out, and then you’ve got a couple days’ worth of media talking about the full-on draw, right? For someone like myself that doesn’t look at the draw and doesn’t like knowing the draw, these are the things that you have to navigate and get used to, right?
“Over the years, I’ve gotten used to it, I know how to handle it, but still, it just adds extra elements to the start of a tournament.
“Also saying that, I just needed to kind of recenter myself a little bit and remind myself of all the things I have been doing right and how well I have been hitting the ball, how confident I am on the court. Once, you know, you kind of get started, those juices are flowing, then it’s all happy days from there.”
The Australian Open is the best Grand Slam… discuss!
Alex de Minaur suggests what would be a successful Australian Open for him
De Minaur is coming into the Australian Open with a lot of pressure on his shoulders to become the first Australian man to win the singles title since Mark Edmondson in 1976.
Despite being a potential hopeful for the title, De Minaur has still never surpassed the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam after six previous defeats, including at the Australian Open last year.
When asked what he would deem as success at the Australian Open this year, De Minaur insisted that he was playing to win the title, but was trying not to look too far ahead.
“Look, I think the way I’m feeling at the moment is that I’ve gotten to a stage where I’m not just another number in this draw, right?” responded De Minaur. “I’m playing to win it and be one of those guys in contention. So ultimately, that’s the goal, right?
“I’m going to do my best, and it’s not about being satisfied if I make a second week, if I make a quarterfinals, a semis. There is no real kind of stage. It’s just going to be having that mindset of, okay, I’m going for this, and it’s going to take one step at a time.
“But I’m not just making up the numbers now. It’s about me taking that next step and believing in my abilities, and that’s going to be the only thing that’s going to allow me to ultimately take that next step.”
Who is your dark horse for the 2026 Australian Open?
De Minaur has made the first step of this journey into the second round of the Australian Open, where he will play former Next Gen Finals champion Hamad Medjedovic.
This will be a first-time meeting between the two players, which will take place on Wednesday, January 21.
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