As the Australian Open moves into its second week, Alex de Minaur is the only Australian remaining in either of the singles draws. While disappointing to see so many Australians leave early, it has whetted our appetite to see an Aussie win the men’s draw for the first time in almost 50 years.
After the nationally-unifying moment of Ash Barty’s 2022 title, we’re desperately chasing the high again.
However, we’ve been here before; the 21st century of Australian men’s tennis is littered with prodigious talents and good-on-paper disappointments. Like a string of disappointing relationships, it has ended badly so often – are we truly ready to open ourselves up to be hurt again?
The good old days
The late 90s and early 2000s had been kind to Australia. Pat Rafter’s chiselled jaw had won two US opens and Lleyton Hewitt won one too before adding a Wimbledon title to the collection. Even Mark Philippoussis’ broad shoulders and piercing eyes had made a few grand slam finals. We’d enjoyed some really good times, but they weren’t to last. After Rafter retired and Hewitt dropped out of the top 20, by 2009 we were desperate to grab onto anyone, regardless of the red flags waving in our faces.
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Bernard Tomic
Although it had only been five years since Hewitt had made the Australian Open final, it felt like we’d been in an endless dry spell. By the time Tomic came on the scene, we were looking for anyone to make us feel like we used to. Even if that was an immature kid from the Gold Coast.
On paper, he was the one we’d been waiting for: a prodigious talent in the juniors with deep runs and a title in the junior grand slams. He was tall and handsome and we were ready to commit. Unfortunately, the cracks started to show quickly. After a series of arrests and unseemly public disputes, it was clear that he would not be the one.
On some level it is our fault, we wanted too much too soon. We placed all our pent-up frustrations on him and demanded that he relieve them. When he inevitably failed to, we were left feeling cheated and that we should have known better.
(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Sam Groth
For a while, the man with the world’s fastest serve seemed like a potential option. Impressed by the size of his serve, we thought he could be the one and with a serve like that, we could forgive the shallower parts of his game.
However, his lack of range was a clear restriction and he never quite got as deep into tournaments as we wanted him to. Ultimately, physicality can only get you so far, and Sam Groth was not the answer.
Like many men with a limited skill set, Sam Groth is now a high-ranking member of the Liberal party.
Thanasi Kokkinakis
We had high hopes for Kokkinakis. He was a reversion back to our last great love; a kid from Adelaide with a bad boy aesthetic but seemed like a sweetheart off the court. Sadly, the timing just never quite worked out for us.
Occasionally he would get a good run of form and it would seem like the perfect opportunity. Then an untimely injury would take him out and we’d be left considering what could have been.
We got a peak into the happy ending when he won the Australian Open men’s doubles tournament. We had so much fun and seemed like it could develop into something more. But two years later, we’re back in the same position.
Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios is the man that we will never stop loving, regardless of how many times we say we’re done. No one swings a racquet like Nick and he’d be the greatest we ever had if we could just get him to commit. However, our love will never be enough and, by the end, we will be left wondering why we ever tried.
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Like all unhealthy relationships, this has been an emotional rollercoaster fraught with gaslighting and broken promises. He’d exit a match early and then accuse us of not supporting him. Next, he’d have a sweet moment with a fan, before telling us that he only showed up to collect a paycheck. Next match, he’d hit a ball between his legs, and it would feel like he did it just for us, but then he’d give up in the third set and we’d feel like that was aimed at us too.
By the time he made the Wimbledon final in 2022, it felt like he was finally showing us that he cared. However, it’s been two and a half years and it feels like we’re further away than ever.
Nick Kyrgios. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Ashleigh Barty
There’s always one that got away and no player quite represents that as much as Ash Barty. She wasn’t the strapping man that we’d previously fawned over but, with a winning smile, she did everything we asked of her and was unphased when we kept asking for more.
By the time she rode the wave of national pressure and anxiety to the Australian Open championship, we were all planning our future with her and chuckling at photos from her childhood.
Sadly, the flame burned twice as bright but half as long. Just months after fulfilling our wildest dreams, Ash Barty retired and rode off into the sunset. She now lives the life she deserves, building a family of (hopefully) future grand slam champions.
Alex de Minaur
This brings us to the man that we need but may never love the way he deserves. Alex de Minaur is the perfect tennis player for the Australian people. He’s not the physical specimen that the other men on this list are, nor does he bring the excitement. However, he’s fast, works hard, and always gets there when we need him to. While we were distracted by Kyrgios’ antics, de Minaur has quietly built a very strong resume.
De Minaur is not the player that we deserve, but he is the player we have been waiting for. He has everything we’ve been looking for; he’s handsome, talented, uncontroversial, and has a great nickname.
He has earned our love as a nation and we need to stop looking at our past flames, and instead commit to the Demon. He could be the one to finally take away this feeling of longing.