Australia's great hope De Minaur balances 'noise' and perks at home Slam

MELBOURNE, Jan 16 : Alex de Minaur knows there is no hiding at the Australian Open, especially as the home nation’s biggest hope of ending a 50-year drought for a men's champion.

The sixth seed has grown accustomed to the attention that comes with playing in Melbourne, while finding the buzz a double-edged sword as he tries to balance expectations, obligations and his own competitive needs.

“There's definitely a lot more off-court activities, off-court noise, stuff that you've got to deal with and handle that you probably don't have at any of the other Slams,” De Minaur told reporters at Melbourne Park on Friday.

“At the same time, it comes with a lot of perks. Every time I walk out there, I'm playing in front of my home crowd. That's what makes it special and what it's all about.

“It is something that I've got to manage, manage my energy levels of giving kind of my time out to everyone else, but also reminding myself that I need to be selfish at times and think about myself and what's going to help me come out and perform.

"Ultimately I'm here as a competitor to hopefully go deep at the Australian Open. That's my priority.”

With injury-prone Nick Kyrgios in no condition to play singles at the tournament - and a doubt to ever contend at the Slams again - De Minaur is very much Australia's main man.

Generations of home fans have waited in vain for a local winner of the men's event since Mark Edmondson's 1976 triumph.

Most this year will likely be content just to see De Minaur make the second week.

All will hope the 26-year-old can break his Grand Slam quarter-finals barrier, even if few would expect it. 

Six-times Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz looms as the most likely quarter-final match-up for De Minaur, a player the