Once dubbed “one of the most exciting rising talents in the tennis world”, there’s no doubt that 25-year-old Alex de Minaur is one to watch when it comes to tennis.
He’s rapidly ascended through the pro-tennis ranks and continues to blow tennis fans and commentators away with his skills with the racquet on the court.
WATCH NOW: Alex De Minaur’s tennis story.
With a last name pronounced “Dee Minn-Or”, or ‘demon’ as he is sometimes referred to by opponents on the court, the Australian-born, Spain-raised tennis star is all anyone can talk about at the moment.
He’s currently the top-ranked male Aussie player, and despite being knocked out of the Australian Open before the quarter-finals by Russian Audrey Rublev, he’s bounced back spectacularly with a 6-4, 6-4 game against Norway’s Casper Ruud, winning the 2024 Mexican Open.
This year has already been huge for the now world No.11 who has beaten seven top 15 players including world No.1 Novak Djokovic at the United Cup.
Get to know Australia’s next big thing in tennis below…
Who is Alex De Minaur?
Born in Sydney, Alex made the move to Alicante, Spain when he was just five years old with his family, before returning home to his native Australia when he was 13.
Growing up in a rich multicultural family that includes a father from Uruguay and a mother from Spain, the talented youngster is fluent in English, Spanish, and even some French – how impressive!
“I used to represent Spain but I always felt I was Australian. As soon as we moved back here again that was the first thing I wanted to do – play for Australia,” Alex shared with the Sydney Morning Herald in 2017.
A look back at Alex de Minaur’s tennis career so far
From the moment he picked up a tennis racquet at the tender age of just three years old, it was clear he had a bright future in the sport ahead of him.
After turning pro in 2015 just before his 16th birthday, he made his debut as a wildcard into the qualifying rounds of the 2016 Australian Open, but sadly was eliminated after round one.
He then made his Grand Slam debut the following year and made it through to the second round of the competition.
In May 2017, Alex was once again awarded a wildcard entry, this time into the French Open, but again lost in round one.
But in 2018, everything changed for the teenager, who managed to rack up a long list of defeats against players who had years, sometimes decades more experience on the court than he did – a massive feat for such a junior player.
These victories saw him enter the top 50 players in the world from #208 for the first time, eventually going on to replace Nick Kyrgios as Australia’s highest-ranked male singles player that same year.
In 2019 the 19-year-old continued going from strength to strength, taking out the Sydney International tournament and progressing his ranking to 29th in the world.
At the Australian Open that year, Alex lost the third round to Rafael Nadal, going on to loose to Steve Johnson in his opening round at Wimbledon.
Then at the US Open, he reached round four, before losing to Roger Federer at the Swiss Indoors, reaching yet another career high of World No.18.
WATCH NOW: Alex de Minaur’s post-match interview at the 2019 Sydney International. Article continues after video.
Notably in 2020, Alex and fellow Aussie Nick Kyrgios won a three-set thriller match at the ATP Cup against British players Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury, before ultimately being defeated in the semifinals.
At the time, the sporting superstar described the match as “one of the best days” of his life.
At the US Open that year, Alex reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, an impressive feat despite being beaten by the eventual champion Dominic Thiem.
He then went on to reach the final of the European Open (which he lost against Frenchman Ugo Humbert), and the quarterfinals of the Sofia Open where he was defeated by future champion Jannik Sinner, ending the year ranking No.23.
The following year, the Australian-born, Spain-raised player won the Antalya Open and reached the quarterfinals of the Stuttgart Open and the semifinals of the Queen’s Club Championships as both a single player and in a pair.
And just a week before Wimbledon, Alex won his first title on grass at the Eastbourne International, reaching his highest career ranking yet of No.15, ultimately falling to 34 after a string of defeats in the later half of 2021.
In 2022, the six-foot star started his year strong with a victory against top-ten player Matteo Berrettini at the ATP Cup (his first win against a top-ranking player in two years).
Shortly after, Alex returned to home soil and reached the fourth round of the Australian Open for the third time in his career before being eliminated by top-ten Italian player Jannik Sinner.
He then reached the quarterfinals of the Rotterdam Open, the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Stockholm Open and won his sixth title at the 2022 Atlanta Open, ending his year with a singles rank of 24.
The youngster returned to Rotterdam in 2023 where he made it to the quarterfinals, won his seventh tournament and first ATP 500 title at the Mexican Open in March, came second at the Queen’s Club Championships and the Los Cabos Open, and went on to reach his very first Masters 1000 final, eight years on from his professional debut.
Notably at the 2023 Rolex Paris Masters, Alex managed to defeat former world number one Andy Murray, becoming the first opponent who had defeated the Scotsman on clay, grass, indoor, and outdoor hard court, going to reach his second-ever Masters 1000 quarterfinal.
What is Alex De Minaur ranked?
From the moment Alex picked up a tennis racquet at the age of just three, it was clear he was meant for great things.
Currently, he is ranked 11th globally in men’s singles following 224 wins and 141 losses. He’s also secured eight titles and has won himself $12,861,235 in prize money.
For doubles, Alex is ranked 178 globally with 34 wins, 52 losses, and 1 title under his belt.
When was Alex De Minaur eliminated in the Australian Open in 2024?
Alex was eliminated from the Australian Open in the fourth round after losing against Russian player Andrey Rublev, ranked world No. 5. Alex won just three of 16 breakpoint opportunities, with Rublev rising to the occasion on the most vital moments of the match.
“Nothing about pressure, nothing about expectation, none of that – just he played too good in the moments,” Alex said.
“It’s tough because I thought he was hurting physically in the third and in the fourth (sets).
“He just let go. He started swinging. The balls went in.”
“It’s not a match that I thought I lost physically. It was just that the racquet was taken out of my hand. It got to a stage where I just could not get him moving or expose that movement. He was just standing and hitting from every single part of the court at just match 10.”
“That’s probably the most disappointing part of the whole match.”
Despite losing the game and being eliminated from the Australian Open, Alex is still hopeful about his prospects for the rest of the year.
“Even this match, I’m playing great tennis. It’s the start of the year. Importantly, if I can keep this level throughout the whole year, (I am) quite confident that I’ll be able to finish where I want to,” he also said at the time.
