Melbourne Park in the afternoon is generally a tough gig. The sun is at its most intense, raising the on-court temperature even higher than the mercury measures and sapping players’ energy like a sieve. On Wednesday, 20 January, this particular time slot on Rod Laver Arena comes with the added insult of being the curtain-raiser to Nick Kyrgios and Daniil Medvedev.
For Alex de Minaur, though, these are mint conditions. The Australian favours quiet efficiency, of getting the job done as quickly as possible. That is probably why he runs so fast – the 32nd seed is one of the quickest on the men’s circuit. Against Polish world No 107 Kamil Majchrzak he was a whippet under the searing sun, securing his third-round progression 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 39 minutes.
