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He won’t be seen anywhere but Rod Laver Arena this fortnight.
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The only major the 25-year-old is yet to reach the final eight at is the Australian Open, which he hopes to tick off in the days ahead.
Big brands are clamouring for de Minaur, whose partnerships range from Asics to Wilson, Weet-Bix, forex broker Pepperstone and skincare brand La Roche-Posay, but many more wanted to be part of Team Demon this summer, according to his manager, 72 Sports Group’s John Morris.
Morris represented Nick Kyrgios for 10 years and began working with de Minaur in August last year, right after the Australian’s serious hip injury caused him to withdraw from Wimbledon.
His other clientele includes Andrey Rublev, Elina Svitolina, Gael Monfils, and Daria Kasatkina.
“When Alex works with people, he doesn’t view them as sponsorships – they are partnerships,” Morris said.
“That’s gold to me because not many people take that mindset. We were approached by brands at the end of last year coming into this summer that wanted to work with him, but he said no.
“Alex didn’t feel he could get behind them, and they were not representative of who he is and what he stands for. I can absolutely guarantee you that 95 per cent of the draw here would have taken the deals because it meant cash in the pocket.”
Morris has known de Minaur for much longer than he has represented him.
Something that stood out to him back when he looked after Kyrgios was how differently de Minaur perceived his former star client to Australia’s other emerging talent.
“They were all in awe of Nick, and I don’t want to say doe-eyed – but Alex was never that,” Morris said. “He was always very laid-back, chilled and no fuss. He just went about his work.”
De Minaur, who plays Argentina’s Franciso Cerundolo in the Australian Open’s third round today, has grown and matured into his role as Australia’s No.1, armed with increased confidence from his strong results across the past two years, in particular.
There are many more demands on his time, which the world No.8 has taken in his stride.
“It’s really about planning [and] having a healthy balance. I’ve got a great team around me that helps me every step of the way,” de Minaur said. “As you win more matches, there’s going to be more media attention, but for me, nothing can change of who I am as a person and what I need to do on the court.”
Oyeniyi is adamant the humble, teenage Alex de Minaur she used to ask to do his homework is still the same “gentleman” she knows today.
There are, of course, more perks these days. De Minaur’s breakout 2024 season and arrival as a top-10 player scored him $4.35 million in prize money, not to mention what came in from his off-court partnerships.
But de Minaur has used his greater profile to make a difference, including his own foundation aimed at helping the next generation of Australian tennis.
The Australian Junior Tour became known as the De Minaur Junior Tour last year, and six annual scholarship recipients will train with de Minaur and his team in Europe, compete there for four weeks and receive mentorship from him for 12 months.
“This is one of the most exciting things that I’ve done in my career,” he said.
“I knew I wanted to help the next generation. It was just finding exactly how we were going to be able to set this up to help these young kids transition and help them on their pathway towards being a tennis player.
“I was so fortunate to learn so much from so many incredible tennis players in my past, through Davis Cup, through numerous experiences of dealing with some of the Australian greats.”
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