Melbourne, Australia, 31 March 2020 | tennis.com.au

Alex de Minaur has a simple message for his Australian fans – stay home.

The world No.26 is currently in lockdown at his base in the Spanish city of Alicante, an experience he describes as “house arrest”.

Speaking to 22-time Grand Slam champion Todd Woodbridge, De Minaur revealed life in Spain right now was challenging.

“We’re not allowed to leave the house unless we are going to the supermarket or hospital,” the 21-year-old explains.

“It’s pretty bad over here.”

Living alone and without access to a gym, De Minaur is doing his best to keep fit in isolation and find new ways to avoid boredom.

“The problem is I’ve got way too much time on my hands. There is only so much Netflix you can watch,” he says.

Joining social media platform TikTok has been one solution.

“I probably lost my head on day two, so that’s when all of this started happening,” De Minaur explains of his TikTok account.

He also been learning to cook, using video tutorials to master new skills such as cutting an onion.

“I never thought in my life I would cook,” admits De Minaur.

The 2018 Newcombe Medallist has only played two tournaments this year, missing the Australian Open with an abdominal injury.

“It’s been a pretty bad year, but what can you do,” he says.

“It’s not the end of the world, it’s just a big bump in the road and everyone is trying to do whatever they can to be as positive as possible.”

The Aussie has been keeping in close contact with his Davis Cup teammates and hopes Australia can avoid a complete lockdown similar to Spain.

“Hopefully it doesn’t get to the stage that it has gotten to here in Spain,” he says.

As he deals with isolation, De Minaur is dreaming of a return to tour.

“I’ll be ready whenever tennis starts back again,” he claims.

For now, De Minaur’s message for his fellow Australians is simple: “Stay home, stay safe.”