Alex de Minaur had a standout 12 months in 2025. He opened the season by reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open — his house Slam — for the primary time after which went on to achieve two ATP finals, together with profitable the title on the 500-level Washington Open in July.
And he is hoping 2026 shall be even higher.
After taking house the lightning bolt trophy on the UTS Grand Ultimate in December for the third time — explaining that the quick format fits his sport and “brings the perfect tennis out of me” — De Minaur formally kicked off the brand new season as a member of Group Australia on the United Cup. The workforce occasion allowed him to do two of his favourite issues: play in entrance of an Australian crowd and “signify the inexperienced and gold.” He helped lead the workforce to the quarterfinals and even recorded a three-set victory over the red-hot Hubert Hurkacz of eventual champion Poland.
Whereas the primary main of the 12 months is usually a mixture of stress and pleasure for all gamers, it is much more so for Australians. The nation hasn’t produced a males’s Australian Open champion since Mark Edmondson in 1976, so the hopes are largely pinned on De Minaur, the top-ranked Australian participant and No. 6 seed, to reverse the drought. However he has a troublesome draw.
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He was initially given the problem of dealing with former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini within the opening spherical earlier than Berrettini withdrew. He’ll now tackle Mackenzie McDonald, a fortunate loser, within the first spherical on Monday, and Frances Tiafoe may await within the third spherical. From there, it will solely get tougher. Alexander Bublik is a possible round-of-16 opponent and, if De Minaur makes it to the quarterfinals, he would seemingly should tackle Carlos Alcaraz. “It principally simply implies that I will should be firing from the phrase ‘Go,'” De Minaur stated of his path.
However with all of that on his shoulders, how is De Minaur feeling because the Australian Open will get underway, and does he consider he can beat Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner when the stakes are highest?
We caught up with De Minaur final month to get these solutions and extra.
This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.
ESPN: First, how was your offseason? What did you do?
Alex de Minaur: I had a couple of week-and-a-half off, which is much more than I’ve had for the final 4 or 5 years, however I did not actually go anyplace. I simply spent somewhat little bit of time with household and mates [in Spain and his home base of Monaco] and that was about it, to be sincere. It was a fast turnaround, however finally it is a part of the job and again to work, again to preparing for 2026. Yeah, I imply all arms on deck.
ESPN: So that you did not go to the Maldives, with what felt like a lot of the tour?
De Minaur: No, sadly I did not. I did not go to the participant lounge of the Maldives.
ESPN: How lengthy did you go with out choosing up a tennis racket? Did you first return to the gymnasium?
De Minaur: Principally simply the week-and-a-half. There’s simply not that rather more time, I will inform you that. It is type of the world we reside in. It is a fast turnaround, however once more, I am completely happy that I used to be in a position to take somewhat little bit of day off to change off and recuperate and get myself mentally prepared to begin off once more.
ESPN: With the 2025 season now within the rearview, what stands out to you if you mirror on it and what are you most pleased with?
De Minaur: I feel it was a 12 months of numerous ups, and a few downs, that I am proud of. The way in which I handled these harder moments and finally had my finest 12 months up to now when it comes to wins, year-end rating, quite a lot of nice positives to construct upon and yeah, hopefully I can take my alternatives and my possibilities in 2026 and have an excellent higher 12 months.
Australian Open Males’s Odds
ESPN: What’s it wish to get to begin the 12 months in Australia?
De Minaur: It is at all times wonderful to begin the 12 months at house in entrance of your own home crowd, so it feels fairly particular. That is one thing that I am at all times wanting ahead to, and particularly taking part in in Sydney [at the United Cup]. It isn’t typically that I get again there, so I undoubtedly do not take it without any consideration and I at all times attempt to do my finest to signify the inexperienced and gold.
ESPN: How would you describe the Australian followers?
De Minaur: The Australian followers are very patriotic. They’re stuffed with power. They get behind their gamers and they’re the perfect kind of fan. I really feel like the one factor they anticipate from their gamers is to offer it their all and they will have your again from the very first level till the final. It is wonderful to really feel as a participant.
ESPN: It could appear type of apparent, however how does that assist provide help to throughout a good match?
De Minaur: As I stated, they have your again. In the end what I attempt to do is to have interaction with the group as a lot as I can as a result of they’re those that type of give me the power that I want, particularly throughout essentially the most powerful moments. They will get me out of a gap and finally all I need to do is play some good tennis for them. It is further motivation.
ESPN: I am positive that feeling will get multiplied on the Australian Open. What’s it wish to play on the match because the top-ranked Australian?
De Minaur: It is finally one of many largest tournaments of the 12 months for me. I need to do properly there. It is my house Slam. I need to carry out in entrance of my crowd and I might need nothing greater than to have a very good outcome there. In order that’s why quite a lot of the preparation and the exhausting work, all of it comes down to creating positive that I can begin the 12 months in the easiest way potential and hopefully placed on displaying in Melbourne.
ESPN: Other than the passionate house followers, what makes the Australian Open expertise totally different for you than the opposite Slams?
De Minaur: I am taking part in at house, proper? So in fact it is somewhat bit extra stress and expectation. I need to do properly there greater than something. I simply need to do Australia proud. So it is at all times somewhat bit extra emphasis on that match and yeah, that is why you need to just remember to play properly there. As a child, there was nothing I needed greater than to have the ability to play in these stadiums in entrance of packed crowds and win quite a lot of matches there. In order that’s finally the purpose.
ESPN: Have you ever gotten used to the additional stress and a focus on the match? Have you ever discovered methods over the previous few years to take care of that?
De Minaur: I imply I have been on this place for some time now, so I really feel like I’ve gotten used to it and I do not see it as added stress or expectation. I am simply genuinely excited to be taking part in in Australia, so the way in which my thoughts works, as a substitute of enthusiastic about stress or expectation or added nerves, I simply use it as pleasure. It is at all times an thrilling feeling going and strolling onto the court docket in Australia, and that is what brings out the perfect tennis in me.
ESPN: You made your first quarterfinals there final 12 months. How will you outline success this 12 months?
De Minaur: Nicely, I am hoping for something higher. Hopefully, nevertheless it’s powerful. Ideally, I am not measuring success in outcomes, however I might be mendacity if I stated that I did not need to go deeper this coming 12 months. So yeah, I will say, I feel my stage is there. Hopefully I can execute when it will get to then and put myself in rivalry for the Slam 'I simply need to do Australia proud': Alex de Minaur on the Australian Open.
ESPN: You talked about dreaming of taking part in as a child on the Australian Open, was there a closing or a second that helped spark that?
De Minaur: There have been loads of iconic finals, I will inform you that. And loads of iconic Lleyton [Hewitt] matches that stand out for me, when he beat [Marcos] Baghdatis on the break of day [in a 2008 third-round match that ended at a record-setting 4:34 a.m.]. That was fairly epic.
After which there have been some unimaginable Rafa [Nadal]-Novak [Djokovic] finals, Rafa-Roger finals, there are such a lot of to select from. However taking part in there too has at all times been the dream. As a child watching, it was the last word purpose to be on the market taking part in in entrance of these packed stadiums they usually typically nonetheless are pinch-me moments. I’m undoubtedly very lucky to be within the place that I am in and I do not take it without any consideration. And yeah, hopefully there’s going to be many, many extra of these.
ESPN: What was your first pinch-me second?
De Minaur: I feel competing in Sydney in entrance of a packed stadium on one of many courts that I grew up training on [in 2017] after which with the ability to win the title, my first ATP title, in Sydney [in 2019] was undoubtedly a really particular second.
ESPN: Since you then’ve been in a position to win 9 extra singles titles, however you have talked quite a bit concerning the problem of dealing with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in recent times, particularly on the largest tournaments. What’s it like taking part in on this period with the 2 of them? [Editor’s note: De Minaur is a combined 0-18 against Alcaraz and Sinner.]
De Minaur: They’re undoubtedly taking part in at a fairly excessive stage they usually have set the usual. So for us, the remainder of us opponents, we’re going to do our greatest to discover a solution to attempt to compete with them, and match with them, and finally make their life as tough as we are able to.
Australian Open Ladies’s Odds
ESPN: What, if something, is totally different in getting ready for a match towards Alcaraz or Sinner? Does it change the way you strategy the match?
De Minaur: In the end it is discovering your solution to beat them. You are going to attempt various things. As we have gone ahead, there’s been several types of sport fashion and matches and matchups, so there’s been somewhat little bit of tweaking right here and there that goes if you attempt to play these kinds of guys and finally beat the perfect gamers on the planet. So, you have to do your finest and attempt to deliver out your finest stage as a result of if not, you are going to be in an entire lot of hassle.
ESPN: Do you benefit from the problem?
De Minaur: I imply, it is a problem for positive. That is finally what we’re making an attempt to enhance on, and as I stated, I really feel like I’ve obtained somewhat bit extra to offer in my profession, so hopefully I can carry on pushing in the direction of that, bettering and finally breaking by way of towards the 2 finest gamers on the planet. Thus far I have not been in a position to get that breakthrough, so the plan is to get there sooner or later.
ESPN: You’ve got typically credited your fiancee Katie Boulter [currently the No. 113-ranked player on the WTA Tour] for serving to you on and off the court docket. How has she helped you and what’s it wish to have her assist if you’re taking part in on the similar tournaments?
De Minaur: It is nice to have somebody there by your facet who’s in the identical world as you might be, type of understands the great moments, the powerful moments, and the whole lot in between, and finally simply has your again. On the court docket, finally we have got two totally different sport types and I feel we each assist one another out at occasions. There’s an entire lot of psychological perspective stuff as properly, like how we every have a look at conditions and matches and what we’re considering in sure varieties of factors. I do suppose that we have each been in a position to complement one another and virtually get essentially the most out of one another.
ESPN: Do you discuss technique with each other earlier than matches?
De Minaur: Generally. It relies upon. We attempt our greatest to not discuss an excessive amount of tennis and reside extra of a traditional life.
ESPN: Talking of that, how is the marriage planning going?
De Minaur: It is undoubtedly going. It is an entire course of, clearly it is not the best with each of us being tennis gamers, and fairly busy for a lot of the 12 months. It is a course of for positive.
ESPN: How exhausting was it simply to discover a date on the calendar that labored?
De Minaur: Nicely, we actually simply did not have too many dates to select from, in order that helped. We have now a packed schedule so it finally got here right down to once we had a second for ourselves. That is how we made all of our choices.
ESPN: You’ve got develop into such an integral a part of the ATP and lots of the match’s social movies, and also you have been even named “Greatest Actor” [complete with a tiny trophy] on the ATP Finals. What do you take pleasure in about making these movies?
De Minaur: I like that they present my persona off the court docket a bit. I feel folks suppose I am very severe due to what they see on the tennis court docket, nevertheless it’s a enjoyable approach for me to indicate how I actually am off the court docket. In the end, I am fairly laid again, fairly relaxed, type of a goofy man. So it brings out that type of facet of me.
ESPN: Is there one which followers are inclined to reference or deliver up extra with you?
De Minaur: There’s some movies that individuals appeared to have loved greater than others however yeah, they appeared to have actually loved my work as a car parking zone attendant.
We have now the perfect employees ever 😍#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/0OXhEzvnZ5
— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 13, 2024
