Key Points
- Alex de Minaur achieved a career-high ATP ranking of top 10 in January.
- The Sydney-born player has split his time between Australia and Spain.
- The 24-year-old is being dubbed the nation's best hope of breaking its 48-year Australian Open male title drought.
Alex de Minaur has the support, and the weight, of a nation behind him as he sets his sights on taking out the first Grand Slam event of the tennis calendar.
The 24-year-old reached a major milestone in January, becoming the first Australian male to rank in the top 10 since Lleyton Hewitt in 2006.
Watershed wins over 10-time Open champion Novak Djokovic, world no. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and the sixth-ranked Alexander Zverev bolstered his confidence ahead of his Melbourne Park campaign.
Following victory over Italy's Flavio Cobolli at John Cain Arena on Friday, de Minaur's baseline dominance will be tested by forehand weapon and world no. 5 Andrey Rublev on Sunday.
So what do we know about the young gun tipped to end Australia's 48-year male title drought?
What is Alex de Minaur's background?
De Minaur was born in Sydney to Uruguayan father Anibal and Spanish mother Esther. The family relocated to his mother's hometown of Alicante when he was five.
It was there he met career-long coach Adolfo Gutierrez, to whom he attributes the evolution of his attacking game, when de Minaur was just eight.
"He took me in as a young kid to the point where my family would obviously struggle to pay him at times. He took me in. He would do countless hours with me," he said.
De Minaur returned to Sydney when he was 13, repeatedly stating he always felt a strong connection to Australia and was committed to "[bleed] green and gold".
De Minaur has credited both his coach Adolfo Gutierrez (left) and mentor Lleyton Hewitt (right) for the development of his game. Source: Getty / Matthew Stockman
His work ethic and calmness on the court have gained him praise and mentorship from former Australian world number one Lleyton Hewitt, with the legend even stepping out of retirement to play as his doubles partner in 2018.
Despite his strong Spanish links, the European-based de Minaur has not entertained the idea of representing the Mediterranean nation.
How do you pronounce Alex de Minaur’s name?
The young Australian has become used to fans mispronouncing his last name as "de min-or" or "demon-or".
So much so, that he even joked about changing his name to "demon" in 2019.
It's spurred his nickname "speed demon", partially due to his footwork and quick agility on the court, and now even signs the camera lens with a minotaur logo.
The hometown hopeful has told fans the correct way to say his name is "dur minnor".
Has Alex de Minaur won any titles?
De Minaur has won seven ATP Tour singles titles and one doubles title, netting a total of US$11,576,789 ($17,268,170) in his professional career, which started in 2015.
However, a Grand Slam event win (the four Grand Slam tournaments are the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open) has eluded the young player whose best performance was in 2022, when he progressed to round four in both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Germany's Zverev said de Minaur is in "very dangerous" form, commenting on both the improvement to his serve and forehand after he was defeated.
Both have reportedly been bolstered by de Minaur spending two to three hours at the gym before hitting the courts to practice, allowing him to put on 7kg and giving him more power.
While his court coverage is one of the best on the tour, he is considered a dark horse as commentators question his ability to continue to win against the top ten.
Does Alex de Minaur have a girlfriend?
Boulter and De Minaur teamed up to play mixed doubles at Wimbledon 2023, winning their first match but losing their second. Source: Getty / Victoria Jones
The tennis power couple met while staying at the same South Yarra hotel during the Australian Open before de Minaur plucked up the courage to ask the 27-year-old for a coffee date.
Boulter, Britain's women's number one, was defeated in the second round of this year's Open by China's Zheng Qinwen.
What's the story behind Alex de Minaur's tattoo?
De Minaur sports a "109" tattoo on his chest, just above his heart, to honour his Davis Cup team debut as the 109th player to represent Australia.
He has previously revealed his pride to be on team Australia, captained by Hewitt, and said he will not be returning to the tattoo parlour for more ink.
Although, if he becomes the first man to win the Australian Open since Mark Edmonson in 1976, perhaps de Minaur might make an exception.
When is Alex de Minaur playing next?
De Minaur will face off against Russian player Andrey Rublev on Sunday 21 January. The match will begin at 7pm AEDT at Rod Laver Arena.
- with additional reporting from AAP.
