MELBOURNE, JAN 7 : After injury interrupted his 2024 campaign, the fit again Alex de Minaur is talking up his hopes of a deep run at Melbourne Park.

Australian world No. 8 Alex de Minaur says his speed and agility has been restored to pre-injury levels as he eyes a maiden grand slam title on home soil, according to a News.com.au report on Tuesday.

De Minaur secured a crucial top eight seeding at Melbourne Park after a surprise first-round loss from rival Andrey Rublev in Hong Kong last month dropped the Russian to No. 9 in the ATP rankings.

The Demon is aiming to improve on his 2024 Open performance, where he made the fourth round and lost coincidentally to Rublev in four sets.

The 25-year-old Aussie went on to reach the quarterfinals of the following three grand slams during a stellar season but could have progressed further at Wimbledon had a hip injury not forced his withdrawal ahead of a showdown with Novak Djokovic.