Alex de Minaur slapped his legs after winning a crucial point in the fourth set (Image: Eurosport)
has explained why he slapped his legs during the fourth and final set of his match against Francisco Cerundolo.
The No. 8 seed stormed back from a break down to advance to the second week of the with a 5-7 7-6(3) 6-3 6-3 victory.
Afterwards, the Aussie addressed his unusual gesture towards the end of the match and left the Rod Laver Arena crowd in stitches.
De Minaur is a top-eight seed at a Grand Slam for the first time, and it’s come at his home tournament in Australia. The 25-year-old has been making the most of it, storming through the draw to reach the second week.
He found himself in some trouble against Cerundolo on Saturday but recovered to clinch victory while his opponent started to struggled physically. But De Minaur left some baffled with an unusual reaction when he slapped his thighs after winning a crucial point to help him break in the fourth set.
The Aussie was left running around the court, being draw into the net before sprinting into the back right corner and then to the left. He somehow came out on top and whacked himself in response.
During De Minaur’s on-court interview, Jim Courier asked what it meant. And the world No. 8 quickly cleared up that it was a good thing.
Alex de Minaur explained his unusual celebration and previewed his next match (Image: Eurosport)
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“The legs are back!” he declared, earning laughs from Courier and the fans.
“[It shows my] never say die attitude and obviously it got me the break in the last set, it was a big point, I got the crowd on my side. I’m gonna have a couple bruises on my quads but it was worth it.”
Courier then asked where De Minaur’s legs went and the eighth seed jibed: “They went on a vacation. They were tired of running side to side.”
It was also a special moment for De Minaur, who battled with a hip injury during the second half of the 2024 season. Known for his speed and movement around the court, the nine-time title winner struggled to play to his strengths while injured.
But those days are now behind him. “It was tough last year with the injury, with getting through it, even coming back on the court, competing and not feeling like myself. It’s been a long six months but jeez it feels good now I’ve got my legs back,” he added.
It was Cerundolo who struggled physically after winning the first set but De Minaur knew that could make the No. 31 seed even more dangerous.
“I always find it a little bit of a double-edged sword that one, because the opponent is obviously hurting physically but that means he’s going to have bigger cracks at the ball, play with a little less pressure, a little more free,” he explained.
“But ultimately, for me, it’s just keep staying there. I know I’m feeling good physically. Even if I start losing points, over the long run I’m going to be feeling much better than he is, and just stay tough.”
De Minaur will now face tricky American Alex Michelsen who stunned in the opening round. The Australian said: “He’s been playing some amazing tennis this week, took out Stefanos, today Khachanov. He’s a kid playing with a lot of confidence so I’m expecting a battle but I love these battles, I can’t wait.”