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Australian tennis great Pat Rafter believes the hype for Alex de Minaur is real and that the top home hope can reach the Australian Open final.
- Alex de Minaur has reached just one major quarterfinal, at the 2020 US Open
- Former world number one Pat Rafter is expecting this year to be a turning point
- There are nine Australians in the ATP top 100
Excitement is growing as de Minaur enters the season-opening grand slam boasting United Cup wins over Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev.
The three prized scalps have catapulted the 24-year-old into the world top 10 for the first time ahead of the Melbourne Park major starting on Sunday.
Former world number one Rafter sat down with de Minaur last year when he was looking for ways to improve his record at majors, where he has been knocked out five times in the fourth round (Aus '22 and '23, Wimbledon '22, US '19 and '23) and reached just one quarterfinal (US '20).
Two-time US Open champion Rafter, who lost two Wimbledon finals and reached the semis in Melbourne once, said de Minaur has finally figured it out.
"The match he played against Zverev, I thought, hang on, this kid's starting to really get it," Rafter said.
"To beat Zverev when he's at his top and now he's top 10. To only reach one quarter by now, that surprises me.
"I thought he would have done better than that and I think that starts now; semis and finals, definitely."
It is a marker de Minaur is determined to reach, with Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon 2022 the only Australian man to reach a major singles final since 2005.
"That will be the dream, that's for sure," he said in Melbourne on Monday.
"All the work that I put in, ultimately it comes down to performing at the slams and going deep at the slams.
"That's been a goal of mine for a while now, trying to push in, push second week of slams and deep end of these tournaments and it's exactly where I want to be.
"I've had a great prep and hopefully I can show the same level I have when the tournament starts.
"Not just to do it in two-set matches, to bring it for a whole four, five hours if need be."
Loading...De Minaur has been fuelled by doubters who say he has not got the weaponry to compete with the sport's very best.
But Rafter does not think de Minaur's strides have been made by him getting any stronger.
"If anything he's probably just become a fraction more patient," he said.
"Not making as many mistakes, backing himself a bit more to stay in rallies.
"Alex has tried to step up and hit the ball really hard, really big."
Hard-working de Minaur puts his latest rise down to his "mentality and mindset".
"Of course, I've added little improvements here and there to my game," he said.
"I've gotten a little bit stronger. I'm playing a little bit more aggressive, with a bit more variety.
"But ultimately, a lot is belief: believing in myself, believing that I am good enough to beat these guys and proving it."
De Minaur leads a pack of nine Australian men inside the world's top 100, a feat not matched since eight Aussies, including Rafter, finished 1998 inside the top 100.
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AAP