Three things you probably didn’t know about Australia’s Alex de Minaur

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Alex de Minaur is Australia’s best hope for a Grand Slam title.

The Australian star is ranked seventh in the world and has won 10 ATP Tour titles.

He’s also an integral member of Australia’s Davis Cup team, leading them to the final in 2022 and 2023.

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Affectionately nicknamed ‘Demon’, De Minaur has become a household name Down Under in recent years.

But what else is there to know about the 26-year-old?

Alex de Minaur could have played for Spain

De Minaur is Australia’s star man, but he could have represented a different country altogether.

His mother is Spanish, and he lived in Alicante, Spain, from the age of five to 13, before returning home to Australia.

He has dual Australian and Spanish citizenship and even represented Spain as a junior.

However, during an interview with ‘The Sydney Morning Herald‘ in 2017, De Minaur explained why he dons the yellow and gold.

“I used to represent Spain, but I always felt I was Australian,” he said.

“As soon as we moved back here again, that was the first thing I wanted to do – play for Australia.”

Doing just that, De Minaur has established himself as a key member of Australia’s Davis Cup and United Cup teams.

Even if De Minaur did lose his first match of the 2026 United Cup to Casper Ruud…

His coach has been with him since he was nine years old

De Minaur’s coach, Adolfo Gutierrez, began coaching him when he was just nine years old in Alicante.

Together, they’ve forged a formidable partnership, breaking into the world’s top 10, winning several titles along the way.

During a 2024 interview with the ATP Tour website, Gutierrez reflected upon his time alongside the Australian.

“Since I met him, when he came to the club at eight or nine, it’s been a long journey alongside a boy who loved tennis,” said Gutierrez.

“Above all, he loved competing. If I had to define it in some way, let’s say he had an amazing journey, where the dreams we had always imagined have come true.

Official ATP Top 10

“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.”

Gutierrez isn’t De Minaur’s only coach, however, as he also works with Peter Luczak.

And, during the United Cup and Davis Cup, De Minaur takes all the advice he can from Team Captain, Lleyton Hewitt.

He is the only player to lose two Next Gen Finals

For all his success in the sport, De Minaur holds one unwanted record.

He is the only player in Next Gen ATP Finals history to lose two finals.

Every Next Gen ATP Finals final

• 2017 – Hyeon Chung defeated Andrey Rublev
• 2018 – Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Alex de Minaur
• 2019 – Jannik Sinner defeated Alex de Minaur
• 2021 – Carlos Alcaraz defeated Sebastian Korda
• 2022 – Brandon Nakashima defeated Jiri Lehecka
• 2023 – Hamad Medjedovic defeated Arthur Fils
• 2024 – Joao Fonseca defeated Learner Tien
• 2025 – Learner Tien defeated Alexander Blockx

After losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2018, De Minaur lost again in 2019, to Jannik Sinner.

He was scheduled to return for a third shot at the title in 2020, before the event was cancelled.

De Minaur would have loved to add the Next Gen Finals to his trophy cabinet, but would much rather win the senior ATP Finals.

In 2025, De Minaur somehow reached the semifinals in Turin, producing a remarkable comeback after losing his opening two matches.

Only time will tell if he can go one step further in 2026…

He won’t want to get ahead of himself thinking about the tour finals just yet, though, as the Aussie still has work to do at the United Cup.

De Minaur will return to United Cup action on Tuesday, January 6, to take on Czechia’s Jakub Mensik.