Alex de Minaur

[Żilu]

[Lleyton]

2. Alex de Minaur starts strong Down Under

Spoiler:

You could not have blamed tennis fans, even those living in Australia, for thinking it might be a couple years before Alex de Minaur made his march to the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings. In January, the 18-year-old was ranked No. 208, and, although he won his first tour-level matches in Australia in 2017, he had experienced little success away from his home continent.

But mentor and former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt kept telling De Minaur to believe in himself, that he had the game to compete with the best. De Minaur made Hewitt look like a smart man during all of 2018, and it started with his win over former World No. 3 Milos Raonic at the Brisbane International in January.

De Minaur had been 0-2 against Top 40 opponents, but he routed Raonic 6-4, 6-4 in front of thousands of proud Aussies for back-to-back tour-level wins (d. No. 44 Steve Johnson in first round).

De Minaur would go onto make the Brisbane International semi-finals and the Sydney International final (l. to Medvedev). By the end of 2018, he'd make the biggest jump in the Top 50, finishing the 2018 season at No. 31 and as the top-ranked Aussie. The Sydney native was also voted by his peers as the ATP Newcomer of the Year in the 2018 ATP World Tour Awards Presented By Moët & Chandon.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/five-be ... ments-2018

[grzes430]

Read & Watch: De Minaur Working To Back Up Breakthrough

Spoiler:

Teen spent training block with fellow Aussies under tutelage of Hewitt and Roche
Alex de Minaur finished 2018 in a very different position than he started it in. The teenage Australian arrived in Brisbane this year at No. 208 in the ATP Rankings, needing a wild card to get into the main draw of the ATP Tour 250 event.

But that is where De Minaur’s dream season began, reaching the semi-finals. Then it was his first tour-level championship-match appearance in Sydney. The #NextGenATP star had won just two tour-level matches before the year, but he’d earn 28 victories in 2018. And now, after qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, where he advanced to the final, the World No. 31 is hungry for more.

De Minaur spent a week in early December training under the tutelage of former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt and legendary coach Tony Roche — who has worked with Ivan Lendl, Patrick Rafter, Roger Federer and Hewitt — with other Australian players, including John Millman, Marc Polmans and Alex Bolt.


“There are a couple areas in his game he’s got to keep working on and obviously fitness-wise this has been a good year because the past two years he’s had to sort of set himself up for the Australian Open Wild Card Play-off [in early December],” Hewitt said. “You don’t have that many opportunities throughout a year to come together and do a training block and we see this as a massive opportunity to set the tone for the following year, for 2019, and hopefully the guys can see the intensity and the effort.”

De Minaur is known for his speed on the court. And while some players take time to build up their conditioning as they get used to the rigours of the ATP Tour, the Aussie has proven he is fit to compete with some of the best players in the world.

But that hasn’t stopped him from pushing to improve. More than 160,000 people have watched an Instagram video of De Minaur diving to the bottom of a pool, picking up a weight and swimming along the bottom of the pool with it all the way to the other side without taking a breath. It’s safe to say the 19-year-old has an impressive lung capacity.

And while it’s clear De Minaur is working hard, his brother, Dominic de Minaur, says that his sibling’s toughness on court is just part of who he is as a person.

“What you see is what you get with Alex. He’s an incredible young man, he tries his heart out and every time he goes out on the court I know that he’s going to leave it all out there,” De Minaur said. “The way he holds himself and the way he tries on the court, it’s just amazing to watch.”

De Minaur still has two more years as a #NextGenATP player. But he has already earned the respect of his fellow players. Twenty-nine-year-old compatriot Millman, who himself had a breakthrough year in 2018 — reaching a career-high World No. 33 in June — first met De Minaur two years ago during a Davis Cup tie, and he immediately took notice.

“He really impressed me back then. He was a little bit younger then, a little bit more raw. But the way he comes out on court, the enthusiasm he shows, the energy he brings, I think it’s really special. And what he did this year, I thought was incredible,” Millman said. “To come from in the 200s to sit at around 30 at his age, the sky’s the limit for him.”

Watch A Day In De Minaur's Life:


Now, as the off-season winds down, De Minaur will return to where his breakthrough started, in Brisbane and then Sydney. But this time, all eyes will be on him.

“There’s a lot of media attention around him and playing in those Brisbane and Sydney events leading into the Australia Open, the biggest thing as it gets closer is he needs to embrace it,” Hewitt said. “He’s 19 years old. This is what you want to do. This is a great opportunity to play in some of the biggest events in your home country. He can be playing a lot of those matches on Centre Court with a full crowd behind him, and it’s about embracing it.”

De Minaur is not worried about the hype, and the pressure that comes with his 2018 breakthrough. The 19-year-old is simply focused on taking what he learned and applying it as best he can to continue his climb.

“I have a great team of guys around me that help keep me grounded and focused on the important things in life,” De Minaur said. “I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing.”

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/de-mina ... ature-2018

[arti]

[Lleyton]

[Lleyton]

[Damian]

In the final match of day three, seventh seed and 2018 semi-finalist Alex de Minaur defeated fellow Australian Jordan Thompson 6-4, 6-2 for a shot at France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or lucky loser Taro Daniel of Japan.

"I’m extremely proud of how I’ve handled the situation on court," said De Minaur. "It’s never easy to come out and play your fellow teammates. I think I did a really good job of taking care of things at my end of the court and playing some great tennis to get the win."

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/medvede ... -wednesday

[DUN I LOVE]

Wygląda na to, że jest już chyba rozstawienie na AO.

[Barty]

Brisbane QF:

28 Fernando Verdasco 1410
29 Alex de Minaur 1253
30 Lucas Pouille 1245

[Lucas]

[Lleyton]

De Minaur Wins On Sydney Return

Spoiler:

World No. 29 to meet Opelka in second round

In 2018, Alex de Minaur reached his first ATP Tour final at the Sydney International ranked No. 167 in the ATP Rankings.

One year on, the World No. 29 made a winning return to Ken Rosewall Arena, beating Dusan Lajovic 6-4, 6-3 in 81 minutes. The 2018 ATP Newcomer of the Year won 79 per cent of first-serve points (30/38) and recovered from a 0-2 deficit in the second set to book his place in the last 16.

Sydney-born De Minaur looks set for another stellar season on the ATP Tour after earning his third victory in four tour-level matches this season, following a run to the Brisbane International quarter-finals last week (l. to Tsonga). The 19-year-old Australian ended his 2018 season with a runner-up finish at Next Gen ATP Finals (l. to Tsitsipas) on his debut at the 21-and-under event in Milan.

De Minaur will meet American Reilly Opelka for a place in the quarter-finals. Opelka overpowered Albert Ramos-Vinolas, landing 16 aces and dropping just eight points on serve (41/49) to earn a 6-3, 6-4 win after 63 minutes.
Sydney:

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Sam Querrey also advanced to the second round. The 31-year-old was leading Malek Jaziri 6-1, 4-1 when the Tunisian was forced to retire.

Did You Know?
De Minaur achieved a career-high ATP Ranking on 18 occasions in 2018. The Australian began last year at No. 208 in the ATP Rankings and ended his 2018 campaign at No. 31.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/de-mina ... ydney-2019

[Damian]

07.01.2019

Najwyższy ranking w karierze: 29

[Damian]

De Minaur's Mum: His 'Fighting Spirit Is A Gift'

Spoiler:

De Minaur’s mother discusses son’s meteoric rise of 2018
“I’m looking forward to seeing you in Australia; I know you’re going to do something special for Australian tennis fans.”

It must be an unbelievable feeling for a mother to have tennis legend Rod Laver heap praise on her son. In this case, the proud mother is Esther Roman; the son, Alex de Minaur. At 19 years old, De Minaur made significant strides in 2018, and his mother is proud of his progress.

“Laver is a person who has always been admired at home," Roman told ATPTour.com from Brisbane, where De Minaur was competing in his first tournament of 2019. “Alex knew [Laver’s] name, even before he was able to speak. Receiving compliments from him is an incredible honour, as is my son’s connection with him.”

At 6'0" (1.83 m) and 152 pounds (69 kg), De Minaur — one of just two teenagers in the Top 100 of the 2018 year-end ATP Rankings — has always been a shrewd player and wise beyond his years, Roman said. His approach is simple: the right-handed Australian runs down every shot, makes his opponent work for every point and claws his way back from situations in which others might fold. His fighting spirit is matched only by his growth as a player on the court.

You May Also Like: Read & Watch: De Minaur Working To Back Up Breakthrough
“That ability to dig deep down and gut it out is something he’s always had,” Roman said. “[Ever] since he started competing at seven years old, a very early age, he was always shorter, smaller and less strong than his opponents. His go-to move was to fight harder than everyone else.

“He’s always had a knack for tracking down every shot his opponent sends his way. It was never easy to land a winner against him. It isn’t something he inherited from us [his parents] or even something his brother or sisters possess. That fighting spirit is a gift.”

De Minaur soared to impressive heights in 2018. The #NextGenATP standout started the season ranked No. 208 in the ATP Rankings and closed the year at No. 31. During that time, the Aussie made the finals at Sydney, Washington and the Next Gen ATP Finals. He finished the season as Australia’s top-ranked player, ahead of Nick Kyrgios (No. 35), John Millman (No. 38) and Matthew Ebden (No. 46). Those accomplishments meant De Minaur did more than break through in 2018; he developed into his nation’s top talent.

Watch: At Home In Sydney With De Minaur


Despite the success and attention that has come with his success, De Minaur isn’t getting ahead of himself, nor is he letting his newfound fame get to his head, Roman said.

“Nothing has changed. Alex is the same person he was before he made his breakthrough,” she said. “Of course, he’s experiencing things now that he wasn’t accustomed to before. For example, we’re sitting there in a cafeteria in Almansa [municipality/township in Spain], waiting for Alex’s number to be called as he’s waiting to get his driver’s license, and a fan approached Alex, asking for a photo. That’s new to us.

“Another example: he gets a lot more Instagram and Facebook friend requests these days. Most requests are from fans, not relatives, which is something we weren’t used to before his rise. Apart from things like that, nothing has changed. Alex still travels from tournament to tournament, spending a lot of time on the road and not much at home. Of course, he’s playing on the ATP Tour, against the highest level of talent, but he’s the same kid with the same goal: to win the next match and to give it his all in the process.”

Watch: De Minaur's Road To The 2019 Season


Rising through the ranks as Australia’s top talent at the pace he has managed comes with high expectations. The country has a rich tradition of tennis champions, and De Minaur is eager to meet those standards.

“When he became Australia’s No. 1 player, Alex placed the expectations of an entire country on his shoulders,” Roman said. “Luckily, Alex handles pressure well and carries that burden proudly. He doesn’t let nerves get to him.”

One way De Minaur and his family handle the pressure is by prioritising issues and by focusing on other matters while off the court.

“When he’s training, Alex talks tennis nonstop,” Roman said. “When he’s with us [his family], we try to talk as little about tennis as possible, and he appreciates that. He’s very mature and knows what he wants for himself and of his future. We try to take everything in stride, one step at a time and learn from the losses, while gaining from the wins. We’re blessed to have a son as focused as Alex.”

Watch: Hewitt & De Minaur, A Perfect Combination


Another pillar in De Minaur’s corner is fellow Australian and two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Lleyton Hewitt. Roman believes the former World No. 1’s role as mentor has played a crucial part in her son’s development.

“Obviously, having Lleyton by his side is beneficial,” Roman said. “He has a wealth of knowledge and has seen it all. He’s been to the top and knows what it takes to get there. He’s been an incredible addition to my son’s team, and with Adolfo Gutierrez as coach and Lleyton giving them a hand in an advisory role, it’s a formidable team.”
The stage is set for De Minaur to achieve even loftier goals in 2019. After proving he has what it takes to compete at the highest level, the teenager now faces new hurdles: to live up to the standards he set the previous year, and to meet the expectations of Australian fans in the new year.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/de-mina ... nuary-2019

[Lleyton]

Brisbane International quarter-finalist Alex de Minaur dismissed 21-year-old Reilly Opelka 6-4, 7-6(5). The 19-year-old De Minaur withstood 17 aces from the 6'11” American and won 88 per cent of his first-serve points (28/33). The fifth seed will face countryman Jordan Thompson for a place in the semi-finals.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/tsitsip ... -wednesday

[arti]

De Minaur Continues Fine Start, Reaches Sydney Semi-finals

Spoiler:

Alex de Minaur continued his strong start to the 2019 ATP Tour season by reaching the Sydney International semi-finals on Thursday night. The 19-year-old #NextGenATP star knocked out fellow Australian Jordan Thompson 7-6(4), 6-3 in one hour and 54 minutes.

“I’m very happy,” said De Minaur. “It's never easy coming out and playing a fellow Australian teammate and a guy that I have grown up with, someone that I have looked up to as an older brother… [But I’m] very happy with my efforts here. I knew coming in it was never going to be an easy task, and he was going to leave it all out there. I'm very proud of my efforts.”

You May Also Like: Seppi Stuns Tsitsipas In Sydney

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After a nervous start from both players, fifth seed De Minaur took a 5-3 lead in the first set. However, 24-year-old Thompson broke to love in the 10th game and went on to take a 4/1 advantage in the tie-break before De Minaur regrouped.

Having exchanged breaks at the start of the second set, De Minaur broke for a 5-3 advantage and soon wrapped up his fifth win in six matches this year (5-1 record).

The 2018 ATP Newcomer of the Year will next challenge fourth-seeded Frenchman and 2011 titlist Gilles Simon or John Millman of Australia on Friday.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/de-mina ... 9-thursday

[arti]

Alex de Minaur became the youngest Sydney International champion since 2001 on Saturday, beating Andreas Seppi 7-5, 7-6(5) to lift his first ATP Tour title.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/de-mina ... 2019-title

[Lleyton]

Hometown Hero: De Minaur Earns Maiden Title In Sydney

Spoiler:

Sydney-born star defeats Seppi in straight sets

Alex de Minaur lifted his first ATP Tour title on Saturday, beating Andreas Seppi 7-5, 7-6(5) to win the Sydney International.

"It's surreal. I couldn't think of a better place to get my first win," said De Minaur. "It's been tough, because I have played a couple of finals and things haven't gone my way. To finally be able to take that step further and get my first win, it's something that's really special in front of friends and family and on the courts I grew up [on]. [These are] definitely memories that are going to last forever."

The 19-year-old, who improves to 9-2 at the event, is the youngest winner in Sydney since mentor Lleyton Hewitt claimed the title in 2001. Sydney-born De Minaur is the first Australian champion at the tournament since Bernard Tomic in 2013. It marked the young Australian's second victory of the day after beating Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-2 in a semi-final that was pushed to Saturday by rain.

"It's definitely special [to be the youngest champion since Hewitt]. I had the opportunity last year... Walking down the tunnel, you see his name on the board four times," said De Minaur. "I'm just happy that I was able to get the win and be the next Aussie to get the win, especially at home. I can't stop smiling."

In his second straight Sydney final, the fifth seed won 75 per cent of first-serve points (45/60) to improve on his runner-up finish at the event in 2018. Ranked No. 167, De Minaur made a shock run to the championship match 12 months ago, falling in three sets to Daniil Medvedev.

Last year, De Minaur also reached the Citi Open final (l. to A. Zverev) and the Next Gen ATP Finals championship match (l. to Tsitsipas) in a breakthrough season. The Australian rose from No. 208 to No. 31 in the ATP Rankings and was named ATP Newcomer of the Year after earning 28 tour-level victories throughout his 2018 campaign.

After conceding an immediate break of serve in the opening game of the match, De Minaur levelled the set at 3-3 with great anticipation and court coverage. The set appeared to be heading towards a tie-break until De Minaur broke in the 12th game to take a one-set lead, attacking Seppi's forehand to extract errors and earn short balls from his opponent.

Once again, Seppi was the first to strike in the second set. The Italian earned his first break point of the set with sharp reactions before capitalising on a double fault from his opponent to lead 4-3. But De Minaur immediately responded, breaking back for 4-4 as Seppi misfired groundstrokes on consecutive points. In the tie-break, De Minaur recovered from a mini-break down on three occasions, before clinching the title on his first championship point as Seppi fired a backhand into the net.

"I felt good out there. I felt like I was moving well. Fitness-wise, I felt like I could keep going, as well. So if, for some reason, it didn't go my way in that second set, I was going to be ready for a third," said De Minaur.

At 34 years of age, Seppi was bidding to become the oldest Sydney champion since Mal Anderson in 1973. In his 12th appearance at the event, the World No. 37 was aiming to lift his first title since the 2012 VTB Kremlin Cup (d. Bellucci).

De Minaur receives 250 ATP Ranking points and collects $90,990 in prize money for lifting the trophy. Seppi gains 150 ATP Ranking points and receives $49,205. The World No. 29 will now travel to Melbourne ahead of his Australian Open first-round match against Pedro Sousa on Monday.

" go to Melbourne tonight," said De Minaur. "I'll have a light hit tomorrow. I'll get the body right and then it's showtime."

Did You Know?
Since the start of the 2018 ATP Tour season, De Minaur has reached a career-high ATP Ranking on 19 occasions.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/de-mina ... 2019-title

[Damian]

[Damian]

Alex jest pierwszym graczem urodzonym w 1999 roku, który wygrywa turniej ATP.

Tabela graczy, którzy wygrali pierwszy turniej w karierze urodzonych 1975-1999:

LucaBeck

[Damian]