Alex de Minaur has just reached his first quarterfinal at the Australian Open, and the excitement is palpable. After a decade in professional tennis since turning pro in 2015, his hard work is finally paying off. Despite clinching two titles last season at ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Acapulco, he’s still chasing that elusive Grand Slam title. Through all the ups and downs, his team has been right by his side.

De Minaur’s love for tennis ignited at just three years of age while watching matches on TV. Born and raised in Sydney, his mother, Esther, recognized his passion early and enrolled him in a Tiny Tots Tennis academy. After two years in Australia, the family moved to Spain for better opportunities in the sport. It was there that he met his first and current coach, Adolfo Gutierrez. Training in Alicante, De Minaur achieved a world No. 2 ranking in juniors and won the Australian Open boys’ doubles title with Blake Elis.

After spending eight years together in Spain, De Minaur’s bond with Gutierrez remained strong after returning to Australia as well. “Adolfo, he’s been like my second father, like a father figure,” de Minaur said during the 2024 Australian Open. Their partnership has thrived for over 16 years.

During this time, De Minaur became a two-time runner-up at the Next Gen ATP Finals, facing Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2018 and Jannik Sinner in 2019. In a remarkable leap, he shot up 177 spots to reach world No. 31 in just one season, earning ATP Newcomer of the Year honors in 2018. This momentum led to his first ATP title in Sydney in 2019.

The past year has been transformative for De Minaur. In 2022, he reached the fourth round at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon while securing his sixth career title in Atlanta. He also achieved a personal best of 47 match wins, including three against top-10 players. Victories over Matteo Berrettini at the ATP Cup, Cameron Norrie in Barcelona, and Daniil Medvedev at the Paris Masters set him up for an exciting start to 2024.

Last year, Gutierrez was named ATP Spotlight Coach of the Month for June 2024. He reflected on their journey with the ATP Tour website: “Since I met him, when he came to the club at eight or nine, it’s been a long journey alongside a boy who loved tennis.” He fondly remembers welcoming De Minaur to a club in Alicante when he could barely see over the net. “Above all, he loved competing,” Gutierrez added.

Now, as De Minaur heads into his first quarterfinal match at the Australian Open against Jannik Sinner, the stakes are high. Last season, he reached the quarterfinals of Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open. This time around, it’s an opportunity for him to bring home a major title!

Alex de Minaur’s thoughts going into the Round of 8

On Monday, January 20, Alex de Minaur made a splash at the Australian Open, defeating Alex Michelsen in a thrilling match. The Aussie dominated the first set with a swift 6-0 win in just 27 minutes. Although Michelsen fought back in the second, De Minaur sealed the match with a 6-0, 7-6(5), 6-3 score. This is De Minaur’s 9th attempt at the Australian Open and he’s shown remarkable progress.

Entering 2025 ranked No. 8, De Minaur talked about his growth: “Every time I come here to the Australian Open, I feel like I’m a better version of what I was the year before.” He also achieved a milestone by defeating seeded opponent Francisco Cerundolo with a triumphant 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-3 win, reaching the fourth round for the fourth consecutive year.

Now riding high after defeating Michelsen, de Minaur is set to face world No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals. Sinner leads their head-to-head 9-0, including a straight-sets win in their last encounter at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals semifinals. Despite this daunting history, De Minaur remains optimistic. He commented on Sinner’s recent four-set win over Holger Rune: “I did get to watch his match today… It’s going to be an incredibly tough match, and I’m going to have to do something I haven’t done before, but why not start here?”

With two titles already in 2024 and a perfect 17-0 record against lower-ranked players at this major, De Minaur is ready to deliver his best performance yet and chase his first Grand Slam semi-final! Do you think he’ll pull off a surprise upset?