Alex de Minaur taught Ayumi Ito some valuable lessons when she travelled to Monaco as part of the inaugural De Minaur Junior Tour last year.
Those lessons have stayed with the teenager as she continues to build a blossoming junior career.
A national champion and an Australian representative by the age of 14, Ito is making the most of her opportunities.
In our series profiling Australia’s most promising junior players, Ito discusses what she learned during her European experience, as well as the inspiration provided by three Grand Slam champions.
Tennis.com.au: How did you get into tennis?
Ito: I started when I was seven. My friend put me in tennis camp and I’ve loved it ever since.
What was that tennis camp like?
It was fun. Honestly it was probably the most enjoyable thing I’ve done until then. I guess I kept wanting to do it and learn.
Had you watched much tennis up until that point?
Not when I was younger because I wasn’t taking it that seriously. But when I started to compete more, I was more into sport.
Who is your favourite player?
I like Ash Barty and Madison Keys in the women's game and men's would be Novak Djokovic. Ash is very skilful and she’s not the biggest but she always finds a way and I hope I can do that. I like Madison because of how humble she is and also how she keeps her emotions very calm and Djokovic probably because of his mindset and his work ethic.
What do you enjoy the most about tennis?
Probably the ability to compete and to show up every day, work hard and hitting balls is what I love.
What is your favourite memory you’ve had in tennis?
Winning nationals in 2024. That was honestly mind blowing. I got to travel with Alex de Minaur and that experience was out of this world. We met him in Monaco and it was quite cool seeing how he trains, how he is very accountable and how he just learns how to manage himself without people telling him what to do and that was pretty impressive.
What was the main piece of advice you took from that experience?
Probably learning how to lose. I think when you are young, it’s hard to lose.
What is your long-term tennis goal?
I want to be competing in Grand Slams and hopefully win the Australian Open, they’re my goals.