Alex de Minaur is headed to the Summer Olympics…
The 22-year-old Uruguayan-Spanish Australian player, who won the first grass-court title of his career at the Eastbourne tournament last weekend, will contest the Tokyo Games alongside Ash Barty, Nick Kyrgios and Sam Stosur.
The quartet have been confirmed on Australia’s 11-strong tennis team for next month’s Olympics.
John Millman, James Duckworth, John Peers and Luke Saville make up the rest of the male contingent with Ellen Perez, Storm Sanders and Ajla Tomljanovic joining Barty and Stosur on the women’s team.
Stosur will contest her fifth Olympics, with Millman and Peers lining up for their second Games – the remainder will make their Olympic debuts.
“It’s super special being able to represent your country in one Olympics let alone five,” Stosur said on Tuesday.
“In primary school we did a time capsule thing.
“I went to the school for the first year that it opened and I wrote in there that I wanted to win a Grand Slam, be number one in the world and go to an Olympic Games.
“To have done two out of the three, thinking that when I was nine or 10-years-old … is something incredible.”
Stosur, Tomljanovic and Barty will compete in the women’s singles, with Barty teaming up with Sanders and Stosur with Perez in the doubles.
“Making your first Olympic team … is something I’ve always dreamt of,” Barty said.
“I’m excited to play both singles and doubles. Any opportunity you get to wear the green and gold, I wanted to grab it with both hands.”
de Minaur is world No.15 – his career-best ranking – after winning his fifth career title at the Eastbourne International three days ago.
“It’s an incredibly special feeling (to be going to the Olympics),” he said.
“The anticipation brings a higher level of intensity and, of course, passion.
“Playing for your country, it’s always going to be very special.”
de Minaur, Millman, Peers and Saville have been named for both singles and doubles tournaments with Kyrgios and Duckworth to contest singles only.
The sole Australian to win an Olympic tennis medal, Alicia Molik – who took bronze at the 2004 Games – will captain the women’s team with national men’s coach Jaymon Crabb to skipper the men’s team.
