De Minaur wants to be 'honorary Brit' in Wimbledon title push
Sports
Australia's Alex de Minaur reached his first Wimbledon quarter-final on Monday.
LONDON (AFP) – Australia's Alex de Minaur reached his first Wimbledon quarter-final on Monday and said he would be happy to take on the mantle of "honorary Brit" to help inspire him to a maiden Grand Slam title.
De Minaur booked a place in the last eight at the All England with a four-set win over Arthur Fils of France.
With no home representation left in either men's or women's singles, the 25-year-old De Minaur has been enjoying the support of Wimbledon fans due to his romance with British number one Katie Boulter.
"I'll take all the support I can get, 100 percent. I can be the honorary Brit here at Wimbledon," said De Minaur.
"I do feel very loved out there. Over the years I feel like the support I've had has grown significantly."
He added: "Definitely over the years I've learnt a lot more about the British culture thanks to Katie. I'm getting there."
World number nine De Minaur defeated Fils 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 and will face Novak Djokovic for a place in the semi-finals if the seven-time champion beats Holger Rune later Monday.
De Minaur appeared to injure himself as he played the winning shot on Monday before walking gingerly back to his courtside chair.
As he sat down, he shook his head towards his box, where 2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt, a fellow Australian, and Boulter looked on.
"I'm feeling pretty decent. The body went through a pretty physical match out there," said De Minaur, who explained that he had twisted his hip.
"The body feels a little bit ginger everywhere. I'm not going to lie. I've done my recovery. I'm sure I'll be feeling great tomorrow."
De Minaur has defeated both Djokovic and Rune in his career.
He got the better of the 24-time Grand Slam title winner at the United Cup in Australia this year while seeing off Rune twice in 2023, including on grass at Queen's Club.
"I'll try my best and play my heart out," said De Minaur, who is a force to be reckoned with on grass, having clinched the 's-Hertogenbosch title in the Netherlands last month.
