Australian tennis sensation Alex De Minaur has opened up on his friendship with compatriot and Tour mate Nick Kyrgios. Seen as one of the fastest players in the men’s circuit, De Minaur said he met Kyrgios on the sidelines of the Davis Cup and the two hit it off like a house on fire.
Alex de Minaur’s equations with Nick Kyrgios was seen in ATP Cup win over Great Britain
Their camaraderie and on-court chemistry was on show during the ATP Cup doubles event in Brisbane this year.
Speaking on a podcast, the 21-year-old said, “It all started, probably, in Davis Cup. I got brought up to Davis Cup as an orange boy.
“I did a lot of Davis Cup tosses before I was nominated in the team. And obviously I was able to, kind of, be around these guys, get to know these guys a lot better.”
de Minaur says Kyrgios helped boost his confidence
He said at a time when he was struggling to move up the rankings, the maverick Aussie star helped boost his confidence.
Last 🎱 club!!!!! pic.twitter.com/MtrjLcMonL
— alex de minaur (@alexdeminaur) September 8, 2020
“And Nick was always…when I was always still nowhere up top in the rankings, he always had a lot of belief in me, told me to believe in myself, that I was good enough to be playing these sort of tournaments. It’s been a great relationship ever since,” de Minaur said.
Having seen him from close quarters, the 21-year-old also shared his insight on what Kyrgios is like off the court.
“He is one the best guys you can ever find on your sidelines. He is one the best teammates, he will always have your back and he is one of the nicest guys out there,” de Minaur said.
Kyrgios isn’t always portrayed well in the media, says de Minaur
The 21-year-old also dwelt on his Kyrgios’ off-court controversies, claiming that he isn’t always portrayed rightly in the media.
“He doesn’t always get portrayed (well) in the media but that is probably the part that we know about him, how nice sort of a guy, how good a teammate he is, how genuine he is,” De Minuar said.
Sharing his locker room experiences with Kyrgios, the 21-year-old said, “He has just got everyone’s back. I mean that’s the biggest thing, if you’re in a circle he’s got your back. A great teammate, he will do anything for you. He hit with me when the tail was down, when everyone was down, he still hit some balls with me. He’s a great guy.”
