COMMENT
Alex de Minaur should be crowned the Newcombe Medallist for 2023 when the prestigious award is announced at a ceremony in Melbourne on Monday night.
It would be the first time Australia’s leading man has won the award named after John Newcombe in his own right after previously sharing the honour with Ash Barty in 2018.
Australia’s finest performers this century are Newcombe Medallists, with Barty and fellow grand slam singles champions Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Stosur featuring on the honour roll.
De Minaur, who peaked at a career-high ranking of No. 11, is among the six nominees for this year’s Newcombe Medal to be awarded at the Palladium Ballroom on the banks of the Yarra River.
Champion doubles players Storm Hunter and Matt Ebden, along with Alexei Popyrin, Max Purcell and Rinky Hijikata, are the other nominees for the main award.
All have enjoyed outstanding seasons, with Hunter shaping as the most likely to cause an upset after a fine year which she finished as the world’s top-ranked doubles player.
The Newcombe Medal also recognises the excellence with which players present themselves on and off the court and all six have been fine ambassadors in that regard.
But a premium should be placed on singles performances, which is in accord with the precedent set during the history of the Newcombe Medal.
This makes the ‘Demon’ the logical choice.
The award last year is a case in point, with Barty clinching her third Newcombe Medal despite playing tennis for only one month before her shock retirement in March, 2022.
An argument was made by fans of Nick Kyrgios – and, yes, there are plenty despite his polarising nature – that the Canberran should have at least shared the honour last year.
The 28-year-old, who announced on Saturday he will miss the Australian Open for the second straight season due to a wrist injury, enjoyed the best season of his career in 2022.
The 2014 Newcombe Medallist reached the final at Wimbledon and tested Novak Djokovic, the most successful man in history, in a highly competitive decider lasting four sets.
The Canberran was also outstanding throughout the North American swing, claiming a title in Washington D.C before reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open.
Had Wimbledon not been stripped of ranking points for its decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players, Kyrgios would have become the first Australian man since Hewitt to record a top 10 ranking.
Add to that his entertaining success alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis in the Australian Open doubles and Kyrgios built a compelling case.
But Barty was brilliant. She won a grand slam singles title, in the process ending a 44-year drought for local champions at the Australian Open dating back to Chris O’Neil.
Prior to winning her third grand slam title, she also beat a string of former and future major champions to win the Adelaide International during a magnificent month of tennis. It is why Barty had to be the 2022 Newcombe Medallist, even if she only played two events.
No Australian enjoyed anywhere near the same level of success in singles this year as either Barty or Kyrgios, though there were several encouraging performances on the main tour.
De Minaur reached the last 16 at the Australian and US Opens and was joined in the 4th Rd in New York by Hijikata, who enjoyed a fine season when breaking into the top 100 for the first time.
The Sydney-based Hijikata also claimed his first grand slam title when partnering Jason Kubler to win the Australian Open in January.
Hunter was exceptional in doubles, in particular, but also showed signs she could become a regular WTA Tour representative in singles as well.
After several injury-plagued years, she was in Barty’s support box when the Queenslander won Wimbledon in 2021, drawing inspiration from her good mate’s deeds.
Her best singles performance came at Roland Garros, where she won a maiden grand slam match outside Australia before testing top Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. Hunter also performed well once again for Australia in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
But it was her success in doubles alongside Elise Mertens where the 28-year-old strengthened her claims to becoming a Newcombe Medallist for the first time.
Hunter claimed the Italian Open and another significant event in Mexico, also reached the Wimbledon decider and finished the year with a semi-finals appearance in the WTA Finals.
It is a fine year.
But it should not be enough to trump de Minaur, based on his singles record throughout 2023 and the precedent associated with previous winners of the honour.
The 24-year-old started the year with a win over 22-time major champion Rafael Nadal in the United Cup and defeated a string of top 10 players including world No. 3 Daniil Medvedev.
He claimed an ATP 500 level title in Mexico in February, reached a Masters tier final for the first time at the Canadian Open and also made at least the quarterfinals in 11 tour events.
The world No. 12 also led Australia with distinction in the United Cup and Davis Cup, spearheading the nation’s run to the decider in the latter for the second straight year.
Making a deep run in a grand slam, breaking into the top 10 and ending a Davis Cup drought dating back to 2003 are his clear goals for a season beginning in three weeks. But de Minaur should be recognised for his sustained excellence throughout this year on Monday night.
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The other contenders, meanwhile, are all worthy nominees but none boast the resume of de Minaur.
Ebden, who is now a doubles specialist, had a great year claiming two doubles titles and finishing the season at a ranking of No.4.
He also formed a formidable doubles combination with Purcell for Australia in the Davis Cup.
A Wimbledon doubles champion alongside Ebden in 2022, Purcell vindicated his decision to prioritise singles by breaking into the top 50 for the first time.
Popyrin, who was the No. 2 spot behind de Minaur in the Davis Cup decider against Italy in late November, claimed a title in Umag on the way to a career-high ranking of 39.