Alex de Minaur wasn’t focusing on the travel time. Within the space of a month, the No.1 Australian had competed in Washington, Montreal, New York, Sydney, San Francisco and Beijing. “I’m trying to do my best to forget all the travelling I’ve done,” he smiled in China, where he equalled his record for most matches won – 47 – in a season by reaching the semifinals. “It’s been a lot recently. A lot of different beds and a lot of air miles.”
Crossing multiple time zones, waiting around airports and packing and repacking his bags, De Minaur had many opportunities to consider the highs and lows that accompanied those whirlwind travels. From living a 10th ATP trophy in Washington – where he saved three match points in a marathon final against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – De Minaur notched a sixth Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance at the US Open.
While adding to his record as the ATP player with the most hardcourt wins this season, the No.8 seed also lamented the “wasted opportunity” after his form unravelled in a quarterfinal loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime.
“Just seeing it straight, and that’s what today was,” he bluntly assessed. “Today was an opportunity to break new ground. I was nowhere near the level I needed to be at. That’s frustrating, because you don’t get these chances often.”
Pivotal call-up
Vowing to maintain the longer-term focus on his long-stated goal to claim Davis Cup success for Australia, the passionate competitor turned his immediate attention to another team event. When Frances Tiafoe was a late withdrawal for Team World at the Laver Cup in San Francisco, De Minaur answered the last-minute call-up to compete.
Thriving under the guidance of new leaders Andre Agassi and Pat Rafter, the Sydneysider also flourished amid the vociferous crowd support and unique camaraderie created at Laver Cup. Cheered on by teammates who were typically his biggest rivals, De Minaur became the only player in San Francisco to win three matches – over Alexander Zverev and Jakub Mensik in singles, and alongside Alex Michelsen in doubles – to help secure Team World’s victory.
“Without him, we would have seriously struggled,” said Rafter, the Vice Captain, lauding De Minaur’s never-say-die attitude and determination to “keep having a crack” after his fellow Australian defeated Mensik to claim three critical points on the third day. “Singles and doubles, he’s offered so much. We saw him today play clutch. We would have been lost without him.”
For the ever-resourceful De Minaur, the Laver Cup detour – accompanied by off-court outings including a glamorous gala and iconic photo shoot – also provided a chance to reset.
“Even before I started competing here, I took this as a big opportunity to take a step in the right direction and play the type of tennis that I want to be playing,” he said. “I’ve had a couple of tough matches and tough losses [recently] where I’ve had lots of regrets, and that wasn’t easy to deal with.
“So, a little change in mindset and kind of backing myself and playing the type of way I want to play with that clarity has been very important from the very first point until the last.”
On track for Turin
After 60-plus matches – and travel to more than 20 cities – by October, a dip in De Minaur’s trademark energy might have been excused. The 26-year-old though was invigorated as he approached the final stage of the season. The goal to qualify for the elite eight-man field for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, was in sight.
“Ultimately my goal is to just keep on bringing the energy. The goal is to finish the year strong because I want to prioritise Turin,” he commented at the China Open, where in a fourth ATP semifinal this season he pushed the top-seeded Jannik Sinner to three sets.
“And yeah, a lot of recovery, a lot of hours doing the right thing off the court has allowed me to put up a good performance.” A second-straight appearance in the elite season ending tournament would mark another measure of consistency for the dogged competitor – but it is far from a single-minded pursuit.
Nurturing talent
Known for his speed and tenacity on-court, De Minaur is also admired for the time he takes to engage with supporters – and young fans often capture a special level of attention.
“I always do my best to try and accommodate everyone that I can. A lot of the times, really, when I’m giving away – whether it’s shoes, racquets, towels, whatever – I kind of always try to lock in and give it to the kids, right, because those are the real fans,” said De Minaur, who idolised Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt as a junior. “They get super excited when you’re able to give them something like that.”
It’s an outlook that makes him an obvious role model for young players. Fondly recollecting his junior years – when his tennis journey began in southern Sydney as a three-year-old – De Minaur is a proud Hot Shots Tennis ambassador. He is the first tennis player to appear on the iconic Weet-Bix box and has also teamed up with the AO Holiday Program presented by Weet-Bix.
Reflecting his deep commitment to nurture the next generation of Australian talent, the Australian Junior Tour was rebranded the 2024 De Minaur Junior Tour last November. While spearheading the junior competitive pathway, the Aussie No.1 also worked with Tennis Australia to establish a scholarship program to support high-achieving juniors.
“Mentorship is super important, and I’ve been fortunate to have learnt so much from my mentors over the years,” he said. “I want to pass on the knowledge I’ve gathered throughout my journey and help young Aussie athletes to improve and become the best version they can be.”
Taking stock
It’s clearly a busy year for one of the hardest workers in tennis, who is also planning a wedding with fellow player Katie Boulter after their engagement last December.
And while there is little room for thinking beyond his next few stops on tour, occasionally De Minaur – who loves to swap tennis for golf, in any off-court hours – has reason to pause.
Gathered among greats including Rod Laver and Rafter in San Francisco, he took time to reflect.
“There’s always moments like that and like sitting down with Rod [Laver] and Pat [Rafter] or being a part of this amazing team where you get a second to yourself to kind of be proud of what you’ve achieved,” De Minaur said. “It’s not often in the sport, because you are playing from one week to the other, but every now and again you get a second to take a step back and realise what you’ve achieved. Those are nice moments.”