MELBOURNE, Australia -- After tracking down a ball he had absolutely no right getting his racket on and flicking a backhand cross-court winner past the outstretched left arm of Francisco Cerundolo to secure an all-important fourth set break of serve, a steely-faced Alex de Minaur began slapping his thighs in wild celebration. It was his own version of LeBron James' iconic "Silencer" move.
"The legs, they're back," de Minaur later declared in his on-court interview, after serving out his third-round Australian Open match and booking his place in the Round of 16. "It's been a long six months, but geez it feels good."
It was a reference to last year's most untimely injury. De Minaur had sustained a hip strain on match point of his fourth-round Wimbledon clash against Frenchman Arthur Fils. The Australian would win the match but ultimately be forced to painfully withdraw from his quarterfinal against 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic two days later.
Saturday's match against Cerundolo at Rod Laver Arena was far from perfect. De Minaur had to overcome a one-set deficit and the serving "yips" -- he struck nine double faults -- to advance to the fourth round of his home Grand Slam. But his performance did highlight two key aspects of his game. First, his unrivaled movement around the court. Those legs most definitely are back. And second, his inspiring resilience.
"I found a way. That's all I need to do in these types of moments ... find a way to get through the first week," said a relieved de Minaur. "Before I walk on the court I make a pact with myself that I'm going to compete until the last point, no matter what. I'd rather win ugly any day than lose pretty, right?"
In many ways it feels as if we've seen this de Minaur movie before. You know, the one in which he arrives at Melbourne Park in early January to a frenzy of hype and expectation, navigates through the opening rounds to bolster said expectation, then crashes out of the tournament just when things had begun heating up. The result? A nation left wondering if a deep run for the likeable, down-to-earth local will ever materialize.
In each of the last three years, de Minaur has been knocked out of the tournament at the fourth-round stage. In 2022, he fell to then 11th seed, now world No. 1, Jannik Sinner in straight sets. In 2023, it was another brutal straight set defeat, this time to Djokovic. Last year, he scraped and clawed for over four hours only to come up agonizingly short against fifth-seed Andrey Rublev.
But perhaps in 2025 an alternate ending awaits de Minaur.
"There is always going to be a lot of outside noise, [but] we've got kind of this tunnel vision going into these types of tournaments. Focus on our own little bubble," a bullish yet measured de Minaur told reporters before the Australian Open got underway. "It is tennis at the end of the day. If it was strictly based on rankings, it would be quite a boring sport. We've seen opportunities arise ... lots of doors opening up -- anything can happen at this stage."
De Minaur is seeded a career-best eighth at Melbourne Park this year, which is somewhat of a double-edged sword. On one hand, he was guaranteed to not face another top 18-ranked opponent until at least the fourth round, but at the same time, that only magnifies the expectation that he should be progressing deep into the tournament. Then came 2021 Australian Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas' shock first-round loss to unseeded American Alex Michelsen, opening up his quarter of the draw even more.
But the real reason for de Minaur optimism is that the version of him we're witnessing in 2025 is far superior to the ones that have repeatedly faltered in the Round of 16, his effort against Cerundolo notwithstanding. After his Australian Open heartbreak 12 months ago, de Minaur claimed titles in Acapulco and 's-Hertogenbosch, reached quarterfinals in the final three majors of the year, and, as a result, broke into the ATP's top 10. It was his most successful campaign, despite dealing with that hip injury post-Wimbledon and missing out on the Olympic Games in Paris.
"Over the last couple years, I feel like I've become a better version of myself," said de Minaur. "Every time I come here to the Australian Open, I feel like I'm a better version of what I was the year before. I've learnt so much. I'm playing with a lot more confidence. I'm doing all the right things.
"I've been in this position for a while now. It hasn't really changed what I need to do as a tennis player, right? My job is to walk on court and do my best to win tennis matches, essentially. As Australian tennis players, we spend the majority of the year overseas. To get the chance and opportunity to start the year here at home in the summer, it just means the world."
Already this tournament, de Minaur has crushed Dutchman Botic Van De Zandschulp -- the man who famously upset world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz at last year's US Open -- in his opening match. Then he brushed aside American Tristan Boyer in straight sets. On Saturday against Cerundolo, de Minaur proved he can still come out on top despite performing well below his best for large stretches of the match.
"Terrific improvement," said 10-time Australian Open champion Djokovic, when asked to describe de Minaur's growth. "We all know how good he is defending, but his offense has improved a lot. His court positioning has improved. You know, it's not a surprise that he ended up top 10 last season in his best season yet. So I think we're going to see still great things from Alex in this tournament. I have watched him play a few matches, and the level is great. He's got the crowd behind him. He's playing really well."
It's Michelsen who de Minaur will next have to navigate. The pair have played twice and split the wins, though de Minaur did triumph in their only Grand Slam meeting (French Open, 2024). If he is able to pass that test, a likely quarterfinal showdown with reigning champion Sinner awaits.
"As tennis players, as Aussie tennis players, we want to do everything we can to play some of our best tennis," said de Minaur. "I'm going to do my best to hopefully play a lot of matches here, win a lot of matches. Yeah, do Australia proud."