Alex De Minaur Excited For “Funnest” Time of the Year As Australians Relish The Davis Cup Experience.

Alex de Minaur, the No. 1 player from Australia, emotes the passion and comraderie of Davis Cup as his nation readies to face Belgium in the second round of the 125-year-old competition in Sydney.

“These weeks are the funnest in my schedule, that’s for sure, because it’s a very lonely sport throughout the year,” De Minaur said to Tennis Australia. “These weeks, you get to come together as a team, and it’s definitely a different dynamic, which I think we all enjoy a lot.”

“We love playing for our country. We understand the responsibility of putting on the green and gold, and once we step out there, we know we’re going to fight from the very first point to the last.”

De Minaur will represent Australia for the 24th time this weekend as the Belgians which ties him with Mark Woodforde in fourth place for most Australian Davis Cup ties played.

De Minaur returns to Sydney after a strong North American summer, where the 26-year-old won his first title in 13 months in Washington, D.C. while also reaching the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. In his loss to Felix-Auger Aliassame in New York, De Minaur had chances to take a two-sets-to-love lead but he said he would quickly forget about this lost opportunities saying “I have the memory of a goldfish and move on quickly,” he said in an interview with Beln Sports.

The Australians further passion for Davis Cup is reflected in their documentation of the number of players from their nation to have the distinction of playing in the event since it’s 1900 founding. Tennis Australia quickly tagged 2025 Wimbledon doubles finalist Rinky Hijikata as the 117th player to represent in Australia when he makes his debut against Belgum

“I’m really excited for Rinky, it’s going to be his first time wearing the green and gold and for him to get an opportunity at a place where he grew up playing as well in Sydney is something really special,” Australian Davis Cup Captain Lleyton Hewitt said. “That’s one of the greatest things about my job is giving these guys that opportunity. He’s won a Grand Slam before, but also at Wimbledon, he did bloody well to get through to another final of a doubles Slam.”

However, the passion and enthusiasm for Davis Cup can also go overboard as Hewitt this week was fined $30,000 Australian dollars and suspended two-weeks (although not during this Davis Cup week) for shoving a drug-testing official at last year’s Davis Cup Finals in Italy.