Alex de Minaur has always been a firm believer in giving back to the community.
So much so, the world No.6 spent the Wednesday morning before arguably the biggest Grand Slam campaign of his career with the next generation of Australian tennis players.
De Minaur hosted an on-court experience with five lucky kids as part of AO Holiday Programs, presented by Weet-Bix. Some 31,500 people applied for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a 58 per cent increase from last year.
It adds to De Minaur’s portfolio of initiatives, where he maintains his community presence through the Alex de Minaur Foundation and the De Minaur Junior Tour.
The 26-year-old’s motivation to inspire the next generation stems from his upbringing.
“For me, this is something that's quite close to my heart. As a kid growing up, I was a kid who loved sport, loved to be outdoors. So, whenever I think about what I'm doing, what I've achieved, where I've come from, I realise how important it is to do my best to try to inspire the next generation, the same way that I was inspired when I was growing up,” he said.
“I had the people I looked up to, and they did so much for the sport. So I'm just trying to do my small bit to give back, and it's something that, even though we've got quite a busy schedule, it is something that I really enjoy doing, and I think it's a great initiative.”
For 17-year-old Zach, from Canberra, the experience with De Minaur was a dream come true.
“I was ecstatic, I was really stoked with it, I’ve really enjoyed the experience so far,” he said. “We got to play tennis with Alex, which was pretty cool.
“I feel like it’s really good to me to have someone so professional, someone so good give you advice, get advice from the best. It always helps your tennis.”
De Minaur’s busy schedule consists of preparation for his ninth Australian Open, where he enters with the highest Grand Slam seeding of his career.
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The Australian No.1 last week led his country to the United Cup quarterfinals in Sydney and scored notable victories against Jakub Mensik and Hubert Hurkacz.
Hoping to break into the top five, the Australian No.1 is working closely with a second fitness coach to help make the jump.
“[Getting bigger and stronger] has been the main focus for me to kind of take that next step, and one of the things that I’ve been working on has been that exactly, to increase my ball speed to match it with the top guys. That’s the way I’m looking at my career,” he said.
“I’m feeling great, I’m feeling strong, I’m feeling ready to go. There’s been gradual improvement over the years now. I’m excited for what’s to come.”