Of all the big moments for Alex de Minaur in a professional tennis career that spanned nearly a decade, including nine ATP singles titles, there is one victory that stands out.
De Minaur’s first main draw in his first major championship in his home country came in the opening round of the 2017 Australian Open, when the 17-year-old saved a match point in the fourth set before beating Gerald Melzer in the fifth. And almost 4 hours.
“I remember everything about that game,” De Minaur said in a phone interview shortly after arriving in his hometown of Sydney, Australia, late last month to begin the 2025 season in the Australian United Cup. “I debuted on Show Court 3 in front of a large crowd. It was so hot, but there were so many people supporting us from start to finish. This is one of the moments I dreamed of growing up. It was a truly surreal experience to get that last point and completely let go of all the emotions, tension and fatigue that had built up throughout the game.”
Now 25 years old, De Minaur has become Australia’s great hope. Last season, he not only achieved huge wins over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, but also defeated Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Acapulco, Mexico and the Dutch city of ‘S-‘. won the championship. Hertogenbosch, and achieved a career-high sixth place finish in July.
But he also suffered a crushing defeat to Rublev in the round of 16 of the Australian Open. De Minaur was the tournament he most coveted.
De Minaur missed two crucial months at Wimbledon last summer with a hip injury that forced him to withdraw from his quarterfinal match against Djokovic. De Minaur returned in time for the US Open, falling to Jack Draper in the quarterfinals.
Known for his incredible foot speed and determination, de Minaur was selected as one of the top eight players at his first ATP Finals last November. He was nicknamed Speed Demon, Demon for short.
“The guy moves unbelievably well and is very fast,” Draper said at last year’s U.S. Open. “He’s relentless on the ground and doesn’t miss the ball.”
De Minaur admitted he wasn’t always that fast.
“As a child, I had very large feet and was very lethargic,” he said. “I didn’t really develop my body until my late teens. But there was always a lot of emphasis on movement and technique.”
De Minaur spent the December off-season researching ways to grow stronger and healthier. He and his longtime girlfriend, WTA pro Katie Boulter, also announced their engagement just before Christmas. He admitted that having a partner in the same profession has made them both better players.
Although he grew up splitting his time between his mother’s native Australia and Spain, and his long-time coach Adolfo Gutierrez is Spanish, there was no doubt that de Minaur wanted to compete for Australia, especially in the Davis Cup. He said being named Orange Boy for the draw with Slovakia in Sydney in 2016 was one of the biggest thrills of his life.
“The Orange Boy used to peel oranges for the players on the court.” de Minaur said. “And help with the ball, drink the water, do whatever you can. Typically, this is when they make their debut, which means they are there to learn and observe. There I learned a lot about the importance and heritage of Australian tennis.”
De Minaur admires American greats including Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe and Pat Rafter, along with his mentors Lleyton Hewitt and Tony Roche. If he had the chance to play against a former Australian great, he would choose Roche just to experience his wicked slice groundstrokes. He wouldn’t mind seeing his name included next to people he admires.
“Considering all the great men who have come before me, if I can end my career and become someone, even if it’s just a slice of Australian history, it would be a pretty good result,” De Minore said.
