Alex de Minaur is known as ‘The Demon’ in Australian tennis circles. But he could end up becoming God for many aspiring young players soon. De Minaur is set to partner with Tennis Australia for the ‘De Minaur Juniors Tour’ starting in 2025.
De Minaur explained that the Tour will go on for the whole season. It will begin with as many as 250 tournaments across the country, and selected winners with the highest points could make it to the Juniors Finals.
The top two winners from the finals will then get to spend a week with De Minaur himself, training with him and seeing his strict regime and style of play upfront. Additionally, they will rub shoulders with and play against some of the best players in Europe at the junior level.
The Demon is igniting a new era for the next generation @alexdeminaur
Introducing the #DeMinaurJuniorTour pic.twitter.com/XWN0buX65w
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) November 4, 2024
The World No.8’s announcement went viral on social media. The initiative made the likes of Jannik Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill and Boris Becker react positively. As many would know, Cahill is an Australian, so his delight is understandable.
This is a wonderful initiative by TA and Alex. Inspiring, educating and mentoring the next generation. https://t.co/FAtib1KdW5
— Darren Cahill (@darren_cahill) November 4, 2024
Becker, too, has a long-standing connection with Australia. He has played the Grand Slam in Melbourne on many occasions and, after his retirement, has done a lot of broadcasting there.
Excellent initiative guys !
Good luck in the process…. https://t.co/2Z1b6gTrH5— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) November 4, 2024
Even amongst tennis fans across the world, de Minaur’s initiative has got a huge thumbs up. Many believe that players often play for themselves without really giving back to the game directly. But the Australian is an exception and could set an example for others to come up with similar initiatives in their respective countries.
A wonderful initiative! Thank you Alex for sharing your time, experience and your gifts with our Junior tennis players
— Tracey Miller (@traceymiller26) November 4, 2024
That’s a fantastic initiative Alex. Thanks on behalf of all those young aspiring tennis players Australia wide
— Carol Bass (@YabbieBass) November 4, 2024
A lot use tennis for profit, Deminaur giving back. hero.
— Scoop Malinowski (@scoopmalinowski) November 4, 2024
Interestingly, de Minaur was born in Sydney but is not originally an Australian. His father is a Uruguayan, and his mother is Spanish. So the tennis star’s success story is a special one, showing that, like the United States, Australia gives opportunities to those on merit who deserve it by working their way to the top with dedication and consistency.
De Minaur is the Australian No.1 and a global citizen
Although Australian tennis has had talents like Alexei Popyrin, Jordan Thompson and before them, Nick Kyrgios in the last 5-6 years, it is De Minaur who has turned out to be the most competitive of them all. One may criticize him for losing big matches, which has denied him a Grand Slam on many occasions, but some players take time to taste the biggest successes.
De Minaur’s story is a rare one, as he lived a large part of his childhood in Alicante, Spain, thanks to his mother’s citizenship. It gave him a good understanding of a culture different than in Australia. However, the Spanish financial crisis made him return Down Under, and in a way, it made him realize his patriotism for Australia more than Spain.
Today, de Minaur remains a proud Australian and has shown it on many occasions. So this initiative is a way of giving back to the country that accepted him and his family. While he makes a living in Australia, he often shuttles between Sydney and London because of his tennis player girlfriend, Katie Boulter.
Life seems sorted for de Minaur. Should he win more tournaments, he could become the next superstar of the sport, looked up to by millions around the world.
