TOP ranked Australian Alex de Minaur is headlining a nine-player squad for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games next month, as the green and gold look to collect more of the latter in France. It has been a long road for de Minaur to the Olympic Games, having been booked to play in Toyko four years ago, but contracting Covid-19 on the eve of the games, forcing the then 21-year-old to miss.
Now 25 years-old and entrenched inside the top 10 this year, de Minaur leads a squad of six men and three women to teh Games. He will play both singles and doubles, pairing up with Alexei Popyrin, while Australia’s best chance at a medal would be world number one doubles player Matthew Ebden who teams up alongside fellow star doubles player, John Peers.
The sole Australian women’s doubles pairing will be world number nine Ellen Perez who joins Daria Saville on court, with Ajla Tomljanovic set to lead the green and gold women’s singles campaign. Christopher O’Connell and Rinky Hijikata join de Minaur and Popyrin in making their Olympic debut, and will all play in the 64-player men’s singles draw.
“It feels great, it’s a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to be an Olympian. I’m super excited to be able to represent the green and gold in Paris,” de Minaur said.
“It’s going to be extra special, that’s for sure, to play my first Olympic Games. Obviously last time around I got a little bit unlucky to not be able to be in Tokyo and I’ve had my eye set on Paris and I’m super excited to be a part of the team.”
After a quarter finals appearance in Roland Garros, de Minaur returns to the French clay full of confidence and is ready to go deep in the Olympics.
“It’s super important, super special and of course you want to do your best because you’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for your team and your country, so that’s what makes it truly, truly special,” de Minaur said.
“I would do anything that I could to try to get a medal for Australia. Obviously it’s going to be super tough. It’s not going to be easy by any means but I’m going to do my best and leave my heart out (there).
“The next six weeks looks like prepping, a lot of tennis being played, a lot of focus on that, trying to get to the Olympics in the best possible form and hopefully I have the ideal prep to go out … and play some of my best tennis.”
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