The men’s Olympic singles got underway on Saturday, with both Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic securing comfortable victories.
The world number six Alex de Minaur has had a truly remarkable 2024, with the Australian making history for both himself and his nation.
A magnificent Wimbledon came to a brutal conclusion, with de Minaur injuring himself during the final game of his fourth round clash against Frenchman Arthur Fils.
Shrugging and shaking his head towards his box after clinching match point, the 25-year-old later withdrew from the competition, citing a small tear in his hip cartilage.
After pulling out of his maiden Wimbledon quarter-final against Novak Djokovic, the injury looked set to threaten his Olympic debut after he suggested his recovery would take between three to six-weeks.
The Australian has unfortunately not managed to recover quickly enough for a singles appearance, thus joining the likes of world number one Jannik Sinner and world number seven Hubert Hurkacz as the third top 10 player to withdraw from Paris.
How did Alex de Minaur share the news of his Paris Olympics singles withdrawal?
De Minaur will still feature in the men’s doubles with Australian teammate Alexei Popyrin, but clearly still not 100% fit, he has prioritised his health.
The Australian took to Instagram to share the news with his followers on Sunday morning, posting an emotional message on his story.
He said: “Tried my best to be ready for the singles but body needs a bit more time.”
De Minaur also added: “Looking forward to the doubs with Alexei Popyrin.”
It comes as a real blow to the Australian Olympic team, with de Minaur their only real medal hope in the men’s singles.
With Australian alternate Matthew Ebden getting thumped 6-0, 6-1, to Djokovic on Saturday afternoon, the team really could have used de Minaur’s far superior singles quality in the competition.
Alex de Minaur has had the strongest year of his tennis career
Alex de Minaur’s 2024 season has been marked by consistent performances and several deep runs in big tournaments, despite the injury woes that have stalled his Olympic singles ambitions.
Following a strong start to the season in which he defeated Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, de Minaur became the first Australian to enter the world’s top 10 since Lleyton Hewitt in 2006.
De Minaur successfully defended his Acapulco title, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals for the first time and then Casper Ruud in the final, with the 25-year-old becoming the first player to defend a title in Acapulco since David Ferrer in 2012.
His performances have helped him obtain a career high ranking of six in the world, after a run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
Overall, 2024 has been the breakthrough year for de Minaur that was possibly slightly overdue, with the Australian having continued to establish himself as a formidable contender on the ATP tour.
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