Alex de Minaur is happy to be the ‘boring’ star of Australian tennis

Jettisoned from the Australian Open by merciless Rafael Nadal, Alex de Minaur has immediately switched focus to Davis Cup content in his role as “that boring guy”.

Alluding to off-court ructions involving Bernard Tomic, Nick Kyrgios and Lleyton Hewitt, de Minaur reaffirmed aspirations to tennis excellence – and media tedium.

“Well, at the end of the day, this is me,” he said after a 6-1 6-2 6-4 third-round Melbourne Park exit.

“This is what you get from me.

“I like to just focus on my side of things, just try to do everything the best I can.

“There’s a lot of stuff that happens off court, but I think at the end of the day what I really want is to be that boring guy that lets his tennis do the talking, you know?

“I want everyone to know that I’m that kid that’s going to leave it all out there, fight till the end, and just continuously want to improve.

“If I’m that boring guy in the media, then I’m doing something right.”

Nadal, owner of 17 majors and an increasing Open threat, believes de Minaur is doing a lot right, forecasting an “amazing future” for the teenager.

For de Minaur, Australia’s Davis Cup clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina in Adelaide next month is his next priority.

Building physical strength and working on minor detail – technical and tactical – are central planks of a ceaseless quest to improve.

“Now I’ve got to go back and get better,” he said.

“I have plenty of areas to work on and improve. Just can’t wait to get out there on court and improve these little aspects.

“Hopefully next time around I can have a bigger crack.

“Obviously I would love to be as physically fit as Rafa. That’s the next step.”

De Minaur, 19, and now provisionally sitting at a career-high ranking of world No 27, will review his Australian summer with his team before tackling Davis Cup.

“It’s not just what you see, me performing, playing some good tennis,” he said.