Alex De Minaur, popularly called Demon, had a fruitful year, despite a heartbreaking start to the ATP Finals. However, as Minaur gears for the Taylor Fritz challenge for the 3rd match in the round-robin stage. The fans are curious to know about his longest partnership in tennis. And his rise to the World No.6, this season. Who was the man behind the making of the demon? No prizes for guessing. It’s his coach, Adolfo Gutierrez.

The beginning of Gutierrez’s role as Minaur’s coach traces its origin to over a decade back when the Aussie was just 8 or 9 years old. Minaur moved to Alicante when he was a five-year-old and he met his coach only a couple of years later. And none of them knew that the partnership would carry on for years to come. Back in July, when the Aussie achieved his career-high ranking of world No.6, the coach opened up about their relationship. He said, “We used to share a room and we still do sometimes. Honestly, we’ve never minded. Our relationship goes beyond that of a coach and a player. As we know each other so well, it’s simple, we respect each other’s space and we really get on very well together.”

Rightly so, their relationship has certainly flourished with time. It was under his guidance that Minaur rose from World No.1574 in 2015 to 6. Moreover, their relationship is time and distance-tested. When Minaur was 12 years old, his tennis prowess resulted in him moving to Australia for better training and development to become a professional player. However, distance did little to dampen their bond. And when Minaur was planning his professional career, the only place in his mind was beside his coach, Gutierrez.

Moreover, the stable relationship over the years has ensured a strong between the coach and his protégé, in addition to a steady climb at the top for the Aussie star. Minaur also made it to the top 8 of the French Open, Wimbledon Championships, and the US Open and nothing really was a surprise given his ability.

However, the coach had one ace up his sleeve as Minaur climbed up the ranking. He detailed, “The goals we have today are still to improve everything: to be a better player, a better person and not to settle for anything. As well as trusting oneself in the big moments, and training to be ready, above all, for the Grand Slam, which was on our to-do list.”

Gutierrez thinks that despite his physical strength and tennis prowess; it is Minaur’s mental side that is his biggest asset.

When Alex De Minaur’s coach opened up about his biggest asset as a tennis player

While every player works on their physical strength and game techniques, mental aspects are equally important. And when it comes to Alex De Minaur’s improvement in recent years, it’s more mental than physical. Talking to the ATP Tour, his coach was questioned about the mental development of the Aussie star.

Gutierrez said, “I strongly believe that his biggest improvement has been mental… We’ve been working on many things mentally and we’re seeing the results of that. It motivates us to believe more in it. As a consequence, it helps me further develop and improve his tennis.” Rightly so, without being in the right state of mind and without believing in oneself, it’s hard to win the battle.

Minaur will face another stiff test today as he takes on Taylor Fritz in the ATP Finals. And he will have to back himself to win this match, because after two losses, another loss is not really an option, if he has to keep his semifinal hopes alive. Do you think Minaur will beat Fritz today?