For all the milestone moments Alex de Minaur has had over his nearly 10-year pro tennis career, including nine ATP singles titles, there is one victory that stands out.
It was the opening round of the 2017 Australian Open in de Minaur’s first main draw at his first major championship in his home country, when the then-17-year-old saved a match point in the fourth set before beating Gerald Melzer in five sets and almost four hours.
“I remember everything about that match,” said de Minaur during a phone interview shortly after he arrived in Sydney, Australia, his hometown, late last month to start his 2025 season playing for Australia in the United Cup. “Making my debut on show court three in front of a packed crowd. It was so hot, but there were so many people supporting me from the very first point to the last. It’s one of those moments that I had grown up dreaming about. To be able to win that last point and the whole release of emotions, of tension, fatigue that had built up through the whole match was a pretty surreal experience.”
De Minaur, now 25, has become Australia’s great hope. Last season, in addition to notching wins over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, he beat Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas, winning titles in Acapulco, Mexico, and the Dutch city of ’s-Hertogenbosch, and reaching a career-high No. 6 in July.
But he also suffered excruciating losses, most notably to Rublev in the round of 16 at the Australian Open, the tournament de Minaur said he coveted most.
De Minaur missed about two crucial months of play last summer when he suffered a hip injury at Wimbledon and was forced to withdraw from his quarterfinal match with Djokovic. De Minaur returned just in time for the U.S. Open where he fell to Jack Draper in the quarterfinals.
Known for his staggering foot speed and determination, de Minaur qualified as one of the top eight players for his first ATP Finals last November. He has duly earned his nickname, Speed Demon, or Demon for short.
“The guy moves incredibly well and he’s so fast,” Draper said during last year’s U.S. Open. “He’s relentless off the ground, just doesn’t miss balls.”
De Minaur admitted that he wasn’t always so quick.
“As a kid I had very big feet and was quite lethargic,” he said. “I didn’t really grow into my body until the end of my teen years. But there was always a lot of emphasis on movement and technique.”
De Minaur spent the December off-season working on ways to grow stronger and fitter. He and his longtime girlfriend, the WTA pro Katie Boulter, also announced their engagement just before Christmas. He acknowledged that having a partner in the same profession has made both of them better players.
Even though he grew up splitting his time between Australia and Spain, his mother’s homeland, and his longtime coach, Adolfo Gutierrez, is Spanish, there was no question that de Minaur wanted to compete for Australia, especially in the Davis Cup. He said that being chosen as the Orange Boy for a tie against Slovakia in Sydney in 2016 was one of the great thrills of his life.
“An Orange Boy used to peel the oranges for the players while they were on the court,” de Minaur said. “And pick up the balls, get water, just helping out with anything. Normally that’s when you make your debut, and it means you’re there to learn and observe. That’s where I learned so much about the importance and heritage of Australian tennis.”
De Minaur reveres the country’s greats, including Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe and Pat Rafter, along with his own mentors, Lleyton Hewitt and Tony Roche. If he had the opportunity to play against any former Australian great, he would choose Roche just to experience his wicked slice ground strokes. He wouldn’t mind seeing his name included alongside those he admires.
“Considering all the greats who have come before me,” de Minaur said, “if I could finish my career and be someone, even if it’s just a blip of Australian history, that would be a pretty nice outcome.”