"Yeah, look, it's no secret Novak Djokovic's level, it's incredible, and he's probably the GOAT, if we're honest. So he started the year strong. It's going to be obviously extremely tough, but it will be a challenge that I'll be looking forward to to hopefully going out there and show what I can do."
These are the words of Alex de Minaur hours before meeting the man with the most number of Grand Slam titles.
The outcome of the Novak Djokovic-Alex de Minaur showdown is not exactly what fans expected. A GOAT was slayed.
Minaur dropped the defending Australian Open champs in two sets a year after he bowed to the same man in the same tournament.
Fans were stunned, and Minaur could not explain his joy after the United Cup match.
"It's extremely special. It feels surreal, it feels amazing. I'm happy to do it here in Perth and in Australia," he said in front of the joyous home crowd.
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It was indeed an incredible night for Australians.
Minaur, who hails from Sydney, gave his home country something to be proud of, although it was at fan-favorite Djokovic's expense.
The Serbian's 43-game winning streak in Australia (both in the United Cup and Australian Open) has come to an end, no thanks to the 24-year-old right-handed player.
Minaur's name is trending right now, and this is probably the most extensive coverage he's had in his young career.
Who is Alex di Minaur?
Minaur has dual Australian and Spanish citizenship, although he plays under the flag of the Land Down Under. His family moved to Spain when he was five years old.
He has played tennis since he was three years old and made his professional debut at 16 through the Spain F22.
He has a long professional relationship with Adolfo Guttierez Ferrol, who has been his coach ever since. The man, who is also Alex's main on-tour trainer, is the director of a tennis academy called 40-15 Club Deportivo.
His current total prize money is US$10,534,509, although he has yet to win a Grand Slam.
Before his victory over Novak, Alex di Minaur had already downed world no. 1 players.
The most notable is his winning record 6-0 against former world no. 1 Andy Murray.
He also battled Rafael Nadal four times and recorded just one win in the 2023 United Cup.
Minaur met another GOAT candidate, Roger Feder, and lost.
Carlos Alcaraz, who made headlines last year for beating Djokovic to win the 2023 Wimbledon Open, beat him in all their two meetings.
Although the Grand Slam remains elusive for the 24-year-old, he has won titles already.
He so far has seven ATP titles under his name, all from ATP 250 and ATP 500: Los Cabos 2023, Atlanta Open 2019 and 2022, Eastbourne International 2021, Antalya Open 2021, Ultimate Tennis Showdown 2020 (exhibition), the first edition of Zhuhai Championships (2020), and the Sydney International 2020.
In terms of Grand Slam, the farthest he's reached is the quarterfinals of the 2020 US Open, where he lost to eventual champion Dominic Thiem.
Minaur's highest ranking was 58 in 2020, and he is currently the world no. 221 as of October 2023.
Australia got an ace for themselves if this Djokovic win inspires Minaur in the succeeding years.
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