Alex de Minaur – pronounced “Dee Minn-Or” – is the 25-year-old Aussie tennis star everyone can’t stop talking about at the moment.
He’s currently ranked 9th in the world, and he’s the top-ranked male Aussie player. He’s also the first Australian to enter the top 10 since Lleyton Hewitt in 2006.
Alex has had a cracking start to 2024 and tennis fans are pinning their hopes on the young gun to revive Australia’s traditionally lacklustre performance at the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament.
So, who exactly is Alex de Minaur? Here’s everything you need to know about Australia’s next big thing in tennis.
Alex playing in 2024. (Image: Getty)
He’s actually part Spanish
Alex comes from a rich multicultural family – his father is from Uruguay and his mother is Spanish.
Alex was born in Sydney, but he actually lived in Spain until he was 13 years old, and then his family moved back to Australia.
That means he is fluent in English and Spanish and also speaks some French.
“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 told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2017.
A fresh-faced Alex playing at the 2015 US Open. (Image: Getty)
Early tennis career
Alex first picked up a tennis racquet when he was three years old, but turned pro in 2015 when he was 16 years of age.
He was given a wildcard into the qualifying rounds of the 2016 Australian Open, where he lost in the first round. He then made his Grand Slam debut the following year at the Australian Open and made it through to the second round of the competition.
Since then, Alex has gone on to climb up the ranks and has seen some incredible success, particularly over the past year.
Alex holding his Sydney International winner’s trophy. (Image: Getty)
Breakthrough years
2018 was a breakthrough year for Alex de Minaur, with multiple unexpected victories meaning he entered the top 50 for the first time.
This success continued over into 2019, when he won the Sydney International tournament in front of a home crowd. This win sent both his ranking and salary skyrocketing.
At the 2019 Sydney International he had straight set victories in all five of his matches, even defeating Andreas Seppi 7-5, 7-6 to claim his first career title.
Following this monumental win, Alex went on to reach the third round at the 2019 Australian Open, and then won the ATP Atlanta title in July, defeating Taylor Fritz, and won his third ATP at the Zhuhai Championships in September.
Fast forward to 2020 and the 25-year-old reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the US Open, where he was beaten by the eventual champion in Dominic Thiem.
In 2021, he won his fourth and fifth ATP titles at the Antalya Open and the Eastbourne International tournaments.
Recent success
2022 saw Alex de Minaur really start to solidify himself as a huge threat. He reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, and also claimed his sixth ATP title at the Atlanta Open.
Last year, the 25-year-old claimed his first ATP 500 title at the Mexican Open as well as notched up his 200th win and cracked the top 15 for the first time in his tennis career.
2024 is already shaping up to be Alex’s best and most successful year yet, as he defeated the world number one, Novak Djokovic, for the first time at the 2024 United Cup. He continued his good form at the Australian Open where he reached the fourth round.
Alex also successfully defended his title at the 2024 Abierto Mexicano Telcel as well as clinched his ninth ATP title at the Libema Open.
He also reached the third round at the 2024 French Open and broke into the top 10 list for the first time in his career. Alex is also currently playing in the Wimbledon tournament and is vying for his highest grand slam result yet.
Net worth
So far in his tennis career, Alex de Minaur has won quite a significant amount of prize money, with the athlete winning US$13,640,460.
As of July 2024, Alex de Minaur currently has a net worth of $3 million.
