Alex de Minaur was on his way to practice on Friday when he learned that countryman James Duckworth was a late replacement for his original first-round opponent at The Championships this year.
His veteran compatriot had entered the main draw as a lucky loser after Frenchman Corentin Moutet withdrew due to injury, creating a full circle moment for each Australian man.
At age 25, De Minaur is eight years younger than 32-year-old Duckworth, and as a junior, would enthusiastically target practice sessions with the more senior player.
Duckworth remembers those sessions well.
“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),” 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 a*** 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 on, he was very mature. And I was super impressed."
Now the world’s No.9 player with wins over Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev in his recent history, De Minaur has equally fond memories of that time.
“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.”
It’s an attitude that’s helped a growing depth in Australian tennis, with the 11 men who’ll contest the Wimbledon 2024 main draw the second-highest representation behind France and Great Britain, with 12 players each. There are also 11 American men competing at SW19 this year.
The feel-good factor among those Australian competitors is undeniably strong.
Some share coaches – Thompson and Chris O’Connell, for example, are each coached by Marinko Matosevic – while all enjoy spending time with other Australians off court.
“Usually, when we go to tournaments before the event, more than likely you'll practise with the other Australians, and we can go to dinner and stuff like that together,” said world No.107 Adam Walton as he prepared for his Wimbledon main draw debut.
“And I just feel like that sort of support in that regard. Everyone's playing cards at lunch or doing things like that, just mingling around each other and just the talk when you're talking to each other … everyone's in good spirits and bringing everyone up.”
Rinky Hijikata, also a main-draw debutante at The Championships, agrees. “I think Aussie tennis, men's and women's, is in such a good spot at the moment … the camaraderie and the culture between everyone is unbelievable,” the 23-year-old Hijikata said.
“We try to get out on court as much as we can together and even if it's not that, we'll kind of hang out off the court. Whether it's playing cards or grabbing dinner together – it's just good fun being around so many good other Aussie players and mates.”
It’s with that mateship in mind that Australian players were quick to congratulate Alex Bolt, who successfully progressed through qualifying as a last-minute alternate. Thanasi Kokkinakis summarised the collective sentiment as he described the 31-year-old’s success.
“There’s no one more deserving. I love seeing him do well,” said Kokkinakis. “He’s one of my good mates and I’ve known him forever. We played state teams together, so seeing him having that little resurgence is sick.”
The flipside to the growing number of Australians is that, like De Minaur and Duckworth, they increasingly face each other in high-stakes matches.
De Minaur describes his first-round opponent as a “dangerous” grass-courter, while Duckworth relates “it's going to be tough, but I'll go there and give it a good crack.”
Regardless of the outcome, it’s another positive among many for the good-spirited Australians; as a smiling Duckworth noted, “I guess at least there'll be another Aussie in the second round.”
