Alex de Minaur owns three ATP Tour trophies and reached a career-high No. 18 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in October 2019.

ATPTour.com looks at five things you should know about the 21-year-old.

1) 2019 Was His Best ATP Tour Season
After claiming the ATP Newcomer of the Year Award in 2018, De Minaur raised his game last year. The Australian captured his maiden ATP Tour trophy at his home event in Sydney and later claimed further trophies in Atlanta and Zhuhai.

At the Truist Atlanta Open, De Minaur dropped just seven first-serve points throughout the week (116/123) to become the youngest winner in tournament history. The 6’0” right-hander also reached the Swiss Indoors Basel final (l. to Federer) and advanced to his second straight championship match at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan (l. to Sinner).

2) He’s A Proud Australian
The best of De Minaur’s hard-working and passionate character was seen at the start of this year at the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia. Wearing the famous green and gold colours of his home nation, De Minaur raised his game to new heights in Brisbane and Sydney.

The 21-year-old scored victories against Top 15 stars Alexander Zverev and Denis Shapovalov, before pushing Rafael Nadal to three sets at the innovative team competition. De Minaur played a crucial role in guiding his nation to the semi-finals, saving four match points in a dramatic doubles victory against Great Britain alongside teammate Nick Kyrgios.

“Any chance I get to represent my country is always an honour,” said De Minaur. “Us Australians have a really good team chemistry. We just thrive in these team competitions. We all want the best for each other and there is nothing better than playing in front of an Aussie crowd.”

Following his breakthrough season in 2018, De Minaur was awarded the prestigious Newcombe Medal, Australian tennis’ highest honour. The award is presented annually and named after Aussie legend John Newcombe, who became the second player to reach World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in 1974.

3) He Loves Gifts From His Fans
As a three-time ATP Tour titlist with almost 200,000 followers on Instagram, De Minaur enjoys plenty of support at each tournament he plays. During the Asian swing, it is not uncommon for that support to lead to gifts.

At the Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships, De Minaur received some tea sets and one rather unusual present: an animal-shaped hat with dancing ears. Naturally, the Australian took the gift back to his hotel and used it to dance along to viral song ‘Baby Shark’. The video has more than 100,000 views on his Instagram account.

 

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Happy with my first round win today, but even happier with this special gift from a fan!! ???‍♂‍

A post shared by Alex De Minaur ?? (@alexdeminaur) on Sep 24, 2019 at 5:38am PDT

4) He’s Mentored By An Aussie Legend
Alongside coach Adolfo Gutierrez, De Minaur can also turn to his mentor for advice: former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt.

Hewitt watched De Minaur during his run to the Wimbledon Boys’ Singles final in 2016 and was immediately impressed by the young Aussie’s work ethic. The two-time year-end World No. 1 has used his experience to advise De Minaur in the early stages of his career on the ATP Tour and also led the 21-year-old as Team Captain for Team Australia at the inaugural ATP Cup in January.

“Hewitt has always been an idol,” said De Minaur. “I always looked up to him growing up. For him to now be in my corner and helping me out as a mentor, really getting me to believe I belong here where I am and that I have got the level, is just incredible.”

5) He’s Improving His Golf Skills In Lockdown
With plenty of spare time on his hands during the COVID-19 pandemic, De Minaur is taking every opportunity to turn his house into a golf course. The World No. 26 was seen practising his pitching skills in multiple videos, before raising his game for his latest trick. From an impressive distance, the three-time tour-level titlist managed to putt a coin in between the tines of a fork before raising his arms and cheering in celebration.

 

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3 days later!! This took way too long please don’t let this flop ? I would like to thank all of those who believed in me ?‍♂‍???? @atptour #puttfordough #tennisathome?? #golfathome

A post shared by Alex De Minaur ?? (@alexdeminaur) on Apr 15, 2020 at 4:51am PDT

Felix Auger-Aliassime, the Canadian #NextGenATP star, is from Montreal. But early in his career, the 19-year-old has found himself at home in Lyon.

Last year, Auger-Aliassime arrived at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon searching for form. After making the semi-finals in Miami, the Canadian didn’t win consecutive matches in four straight tournaments.

“Lyon is special for me,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Every time I come here, I feel like I’m at home.”

That’s because Auger-Aliassime won the Lyon Challenger in 2017 and 2018. In 2017, at just 16 years and 10 months, he became the eighth-youngest titlist in ATP Challenger Tour history. By retaining the trophy the following year, Felix became the youngest player in history to successfully defend a Challenger crown.

Auger-Aliassime’s love affair with Lyon showed from the start of the 2019 Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon. Felix, who was World No. 28 at the time, was the youngest Top 30 player since Lleyton Hewitt in 1999. He got his tournament off to a strong start by beating scrappy Aussie veteran John Millman 7-6(3), 7-5.

In the quarter-finals, the 18-year-old battled past experienced American Steve Johnson 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, to set a semi-final showdown against powerful Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili. Felix found his back against the wall in that match, as Basilashvili was up a set and held a 0/40 advantage on the Canadian’s serve at 4-4 in the second set.

Auger-Aliassime hit a gutsy forehand winner at 15/40, and defended his second serve well at 30/40 to hang on, before finding some of his best tennis to eliminate Basilashvili 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-4.

“I stayed pretty calm compared to yesterday [against Johnson]. I think I adjusted that pretty well. I think if I got too frustrated, I probably would have lost in two sets,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Probably wouldn’t have saved those break points at 4-all. That’s a key for me. That’s been a turning point this year, and obviously in this tournament, to be able to get over any mistakes, to keep on playing.”

In February 2019, Auger-Aliassime made his first ATP Tour final at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Now, he had another chance at tour-level glory.

“I came here because I thought maybe something good could happen. I felt good two years in a row in this city, and here I am in the final,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I can’t ask for anything better. It was tough matches throughout the week, but I think I’ve been able to get through every time against tough opponents.”

Auger-Aliassime wasn’t 100 per cent physically in the final against Benoit Paire, experiencing groin pain. The Frenchman beat him for the Lyon title 6-4, 6-3, and that pain ended up forcing Felix to withdraw from Roland Garros. But nevertheless, Auger-Aliassime was happy that for the third consecutive year, he was able to find some of his best form in Lyon.

“I had a good week even though it didn’t end the way I wanted, not playing the way I wanted or being physically well,” Auger-Aliassime said. “There’s disappointment because these finals don’t come around often but there’s a lot of positives to take from that week. Hopefully I give myself other chances for titles.”

Stan Wawrinka won one of the biggest titles of his career at the 2016 US Open, and one of his home country’s tournaments certainly took notice.

Later that year, the organizers of the Geneva Open presented Wawrinka with a sweet surprise: a replica US Open trophy handmade entirely of chocolate!

The full-size trophy, carefully crafted from several kilos of chocolate, took two full days to build and was given to the Swiss star at a pre-tournament press conference. Then World No. 4, Wawrinka won his first title on home soil in May 2016 in Geneva.

“This is a lovely idea from the tournament,” said Wawrinka. “The trophy looks great, what a nice surprise! It’s good that I already started working on my fitness with Pierre Paganini.”

Wawrinka asked how long he could keep the chocolate trophy and was told it would be edible for about a week. The tournament wrapped and delivered the trophy to him following the presentation to ensure it would arrive intact.

Perhaps that made his victory in Geneva the following year, when he retained his crown, even sweeter.

Those aren’t the only special moments Wawrinka has had at the ATP 250 tournament, though. In 2016, he helped launch the Geneva Open tram. He joined Tournament Director Thierry Grin, organisers and media, taking the tram from Place de Neuve to the United Nations.

“The tram looks great. It’s a very nice initiative from the tournament,” said Wawrinka. “It’s always a pleasure to play at home, especially here, in my region.”

Editor’s Note: ATPTour.com is resurfacing features to bring fans closer to their favourite players during the current suspension in tournament play. This story was originally published on 28 February 2019.

My right arm was tingling.

I was home in Miami in April 2013, when one morning I woke up at 8:00 am. At first, I thought I had slept in an awkward position. No big deal.

But then my wife asked me a question, and the corner of my lip started drooping. It only got worse from then on and as the hours went by, I lost feeling in my arm and my ability to speak. By the end of the day, I didn’t know my name or what year it was. When medical staff at the hospital asked me questions, I couldn’t respond.

There were days when I woke up and thought, ‘Okay, I’m still alive.’ But the headaches would get crazy. It reached a point where the pain was so unbearable, I almost wanted to die so it would stop. It turns out I had encephalitis, inflammation of the brain.

When I eventually left the hospital I was a different man, realising what was important in my life. Everything cleared up and I knew what I really loved to do: tennis.

Still, getting back on the court was difficult. I began by practising for five minutes. The next day it was eight minutes, then 10 minutes. It was not easy, and I was worried because I was still at risk of the encephalitis returning. I had always been scared of dying, but after this experience I thought that if it happened, it happened.

I was most scared when I had to get on an airplane for the first time since I got sick. There were so many thoughts going through my head: What if the pain came back during the flight? Would anyone understand what was happening to me? Would anyone be able to help?

As I sat on the plane, I noticed that I was completely wet, drenched with sweat. You would have thought that I had walked through a torrential rainstorm to get on the plane.

But as the days went on, things would gradually become more bearable. I was positive about one thing: I was 34 years old and while I understood it would take time to fully recover, there was no way I would finish my career on those terms. I wouldn’t let the disease take away my lifelong passion. Not after everything I’d been through.

* * * * *

I started playing tennis when I was six years old, and to be honest, I didn’t really like it at first. I was young and I didn’t understand the game. Growing up in Croatia in the 1980s, everything was about soccer. That was all that was on TV, so of course I was more into that. Tennis? Barely anyone in my country knew the rules.

I remember watching Boris Becker win his first Wimbledon in 1985 when I was six, and I thought his all-silver Puma racquet was the coolest thing. It was expensive and almost impossible to find at home. A few years later he switched to a red-and-blue racquet, so in 1990 I was able to find a cheap, used version of the all-silver one that I had once looked upon in awe on my TV. I took it everywhere I went.

While living in Croatia at the time meant living in Communism, the one benefit was that sports clubs were basically free for kids. I could go there and practise every day and I didn’t have to pay anything. That was important, because my parents couldn’t afford much.

When I was 11 years old, the Croatian War of Independence started and that’s when everything changed. For the next three years, there were very few possibilities to play. It was a dangerous time, as there were airplanes flying above our city while we were all underground in shelters.

Even as it became safer outside towards the end of the war, tennis became very expensive. So I would always wait until the evenings when the courts were empty, because that’s the only time I was able to practise. There was nobody to play with, so all I was able to do was serve for hours and hours. I guess that explains some things.

When I became a professional tennis player, life didn’t get easier. I didn’t break into the Top 100 until I was 24 and there were moments when I didn’t see the way out. It was difficult to survive, so I played a lot of club matches in places like Croatia, Slovenia and Germany between tournaments to earn the cash I needed to travel to more events.

I was okay without having a lot of money and it was fine if I didn’t stay in the official tournament hotel. I was okay hustling because I did what I had to do to climb the ATP Rankings. I would do whatever it took to make a living as a professional tennis player.

But throughout almost all of last season, I lost the desire to train and compete. It was the worst at Roland Garros, where all I wanted to do was go home. It felt disgusting to even hold the racquet in my hand, and losing did not sting like it used to.

I was 39 and I have two kids at home. When I left them, it was difficult, and I didn’t have enough love for the sport to make it worth it. That is why my Ranking dropped to No. 138 in September. Overcoming encephalitis was one thing. Battling myself was another.

But then I set a goal: I wanted to get into the Australian Open. If I didn’t, I would retire. So I decided to play five ATP Challenger Tour events to try to make the main draw in Melbourne. I knew I had very little room for error and that gave me the will to fight again, because I had something to strive for. I ended up getting into the Australian Open and making the final in Pune, which has put me in good position to play many of the big ATP Tour events in the coming months.

* * * * *

Today I turn 40 and I think I’m still doing pretty well. I’m just happy I’m still able to play tennis at a high level. Every time I have a good result I get mentioned with guys like Jimmy Connors and Ken Rosewall and even though it’s only while we’re talking about age, I still think that’s pretty cool. I don’t feel any weaker or any slower than when I was 38, so why not keep going?

I have worked hard all my life: I’ve served on a war-torn court, overcome financial challenges and health setbacks, yet I’m still swinging.

I’ve learned that it’s easier to go through tough moments if you really like what you’re doing. If you really want something, you will find a way. When there is desire, everything becomes easier. It is easier to train. It is easier to travel. It is easier to fight on the court. You just have to want it, and I still want this sport. I’m not done yet.

– as told to Andrew Eichenholz

Read More ‘My Point’ Essays

The ATP has announced new partnerships with Sporting Chance and Headspace to support the mental health and wellbeing of its player members and staff.

Founded by former Arsenal F.C. and England football captain Tony Adams MBE, Sporting Chance is a leading mental health provider working exclusively with professional and elite sports participants to give them a safe and confidential space to discuss emotional wellbeing and mental health.

The partnership between the ATP and Sporting Chance means ATP Player members will be able to contact a 24/7 helpline providing access to a triage team of therapists. Players will then be referred onto Sporting Chance’s network of therapists, all experienced at working with elite sportspeople. They will help the players deal with any issue they may be struggling with, from the psychological effects caused by COVID-19 and not playing tennis, to dealing with anxiety and depression or the effects of a sporting injury.

The ATP has also announced a new partnership with Headspace, a global leader in mindfulness, meditation and mental fitness through its app and online content offerings. This partnership will provide free Headspace Plus subscriptions to all ATP player members and employees, giving them access to all 1200+ hours of meditation and mindfulness content including sleep, kids, and mindful movement exercises. This also includes access to a new specially curated collection of content to support people’s mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic called “Weathering the storm.”

Today’s announcement highlights ATP’s increased focus on supporting the mental health of its players and staff. Last month, the ATP announced it was offering players a way to develop new skills during the pandemic through a partnership with Coursera, an online education platform, where players will be able to choose from more than 4,200 different courses of study to keep themselves mentally sharp.

“Being mentally strong is just as important as physical strength in tennis and looking after the mental health of our players and staff is a key priority for us,” said ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.

“Everyone has been adapting to periods of self-isolation and decreased physical activity during the pandemic, but this can have a particularly detrimental effect on professional athletes who are used to particular training structure and playing day in day out. We want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to support our players and staff during this time and I’m proud of the partnerships we’ve been able to announce in recent weeks and months which allow us to do this.”

“We are delighted to be working with the ATP in supporting their players at this difficult time,” said Tony Adams, MBE. “The challenges that all sports and sports professionals are experiencing in the light of this pandemic will be affecting all of us in different ways. I started Sporting Chance twenty years ago with the vision of creating a safe place for professional and elite athletes to discuss their emotional and mental health in confidence. Holding out our hand to those in need at this time is important to me and working with organisations like the ATP is a pleasure – well done Tennis!”

“As a company dedicated to improving the health and happiness of the world, we take our responsibility to help support people’s mental health very seriously. That’s why we’re so delighted to be partnering with the ATP in supporting tennis professionals across the world during such an extraordinary moment,” said Renate Nyburg, general manager for Headspace Europe. “The focus in sports training has often been exclusively on physical health and conditioning, but as the top athletes at all levels have increasingly learned, mental health and fitness is also critical in supporting wellbeing and performance on and off the court.”

About Sporting Chance
Sporting Chance was founded by former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams MBE who, as a recovering alcoholic, saw the need for a safe, dedicated environment where male and female athletes could receive support and counselling for the kinds of destructive behaviour patterns that exist in the world of competitive sport.

Since its creation in the year 2000, Sporting Chance has developed into one of the world’s most innovative centres for the treatment of emotional and behavioural problems among current and former professional sportspeople. The charity operates a 24-hour helpline, a network of over 200 trained therapists across the UK, and a residential treatment centre located in Hampshire – the only one of its kind built specifically to treat professional and elite-level athletes suffering with an addictive disorder.

Today, in addition to its recent partnership with the ATP Tour, the charity works with a number of stakeholders across the professional sporting landscape in the UK and beyond including the PFA, the Premier League, the FA and the LFE (in Football), RL Cares (Rugby League), the PCA (Cricket), both the PJA and the Injured Jockeys Fund (Horse Racing) as well player unions representing the sports of Snooker, Darts and Squash.

About Headspace
Headspace was created with one mission in mind: to improve the health and happiness of the world. Reaching more than 65 million users in 190 countries, Headspace was one of the first meditation apps in the world and remains a leader in mindfulness and mental training. Headspace is committed to advancing the field of mindfulness through clinically validated research, with one of the largest research pipelines of any digital health and wellness company. Headspace operates a B2B business (Headspace for Work) to offer its mindfulness products and services to more than 700 companies, such as Starbucks, Adobe, GE, Hyatt and Unilever, to help them build healthier, more productive cultures and higher performing organizations.

Headspace supports government entities like New York State and the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to offer digital mental health tools. Headspace partners with many of the world’s most-recognizable brands, including Apple and Amazon, as well as with Nike, NBA and the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team to offer sport and movement content. Headspace Health is Headspace’s digital health subsidiary pioneering new ways to incorporate the Headspace mindfulness experience into digital medicine.

Headspace has been recognized by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, Apple’s Best of 2018, Samsung’s Best of 2019 and one of CB Insights’ top digital health companies, along with being selected for five Webby Awards in health and fitness between 2018 and 2019. For more information please visit us at www.headspace.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Rafael Nadal has the best winning percentage in the Open Era at 83.2 per cent, leading legends like Novak Djokovic (83%), Bjorn Borg (82.7%), Roger Federer (82.1%) and Jimmy Connors (81.8%). But according to the ATP Performance Zone, the Spaniard is even deadlier against lefties.

Nadal has won more than 87 per cent of his matches against fellow lefties, holding a 104-15 record. The 85-time tour-level titlist has won 14 consecutive matches against lefties, with his last loss against one coming at the 2017 Coupe Rogers in Montreal, where Denis Shapovalov upset him.

What’s the secret to his success against his own kind? Perhaps it’s that he doesn’t think too deeply about it.

“It’s not a question of lefty or righty,” Nadal said after beating another lefty, Gilles Muller, at the 2016 BNP Paribas Open. “I played against a tough player with tough conditions. In Australia [earlier in 2016] I played against a player who played a great match like [Fernando] Verdasco, and you can lose. I lost. That’s it.”

Best Winning Percentage vs. Lefties (Active)

Not only is Nadal the best in the world against lefties, but the next active player on the Open Era list is Federer, who has won 77.7 per cent of his matches against lefties. That puts nearly 10 percentage points between them. Of course it doesn’t hurt Nadal’s numbers that he’s never had to face the greatest left-hander of his era!

“I’ve played a few other lefties in the past, as well. I always thought it was hard to play left-handed servers because their strength goes into your weakness… It just doesn’t work properly against the lefties,” Federer said in Dubai last year. “For a one-handed backhand player, I have a great record against left-handed players. Obviously Rafa has caused me the most problems throughout. That’s because of the level of play he’s able to achieve.”

On a recent Instagram Live, Federer asked Nadal why he plays left-handed when the Spaniard is naturally a righty.

“I cannot play righty. That’s just a legend!” Nadal said. “My basketball skills are with the right [hand], everything else is with the right, but not with football or tennis. I started playing with a two-handed backhand and forehand. The people I was working with probably didn’t know if I was righty or lefty.”

Interestingly, Nadal has only lost in straight sets against a lefty twice, and both of those matches came against Feliciano Lopez. The first occasion was at 2010 Queen’s Club, and the second was at 2014 Shanghai.

Best Winning Percentage vs. Lefties (Open Era)

The top 12 players on the Open Era list for winning percentage against lefties have all reached No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Pete Sampras comes in second, at 84.1 per cent, with Andy Roddick third at 81.1 per cent.

Following Nadal and Federer on the active list are Andy Murray (77.3%), Novak Djokovic (76.6%) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (74.7%). Unlike Nadal, no other member of the Big Four has a better winning percentage against lefties than they do overall.

Your favourite players are all at home, but they’re finding plenty of ways to pass the time. From Diego Schwartzman’s fitness session to Alexander Zverev’s football celebration, find out how the world’s best players are keeping busy.

Schwartzman led fans through one of his workouts at home in Buenos Aires.

 

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Toda esta semana les voy a subir los entrenamientos en casa. Mucha gente anduvo preguntando cómo resolvemos en cuarentena, así que les voy a ir mostrando un poco. Hoy toco zona media y tren superior. ???‍♂️

A post shared by Diego Schwartzman (@dieschwartzman) on May 18, 2020 at 1:19pm PDT

Zverev made it a point to watch the Bundesliga football games in Germany.

 

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Football is back. We are ready??! #miasanmia @fcbayern

A post shared by Alexander Zverev (@alexzverev123) on May 16, 2020 at 9:51am PDT

Daniil Medvedev held an Instagram Live with fellow Russian Karen Khachanov.

 

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A post shared by Medvedev Daniil (@medwed33) on May 17, 2020 at 12:37pm PDT

Fabio Fognini celebrated the third birthday of his son, Federico.

Buon compleanno Amore Mio
❤️❤️❤️
#3#happybirthday pic.twitter.com/6oeNd7MAwD

— Fabio Fognini (@fabiofogna) May 19, 2020

Guido Pella celebrated the end of his 20s with his girlfriend.

 

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Un cumpleaños distinto, pero gracias a ustedes dos, fue el mejor que tuve en muchísimo tiempo, las amo.

A post shared by Guido Pella (@guido_pella) on May 17, 2020 at 11:13am PDT

Cristian Garin made sure not to skip leg day.

 

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Stay ?

A post shared by Cristian Garin (@garincris) on May 18, 2020 at 2:04pm PDT

Tennys Sandgren showed off his drumming skills.

 

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Need a tripod and some better skills ? but I tried to cover some disturbed

A post shared by Tennys Sandgren (@tsandgren7) on May 17, 2020 at 4:41pm PDT

Lukasz Kubot shared the exciting news of his engagement.

??? #kubot pic.twitter.com/uO5YMjStbV

— Lukasz Kubot (@LukaszKubot) May 17, 2020

Juan Sebastian Cabal reflected on taking the doubles title last year in Rome with Robert Farah.

 

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One year ago ????? . . . @internazionalibnlditalia @jvasquezb @carlosedogutierrez @jayson.mathiou @jacobocabal @robertfarah @belenmozo @jeffcoetzee77 #taco #roma

A post shared by Juan Sebastián Cabal (@jscabal) on May 17, 2020 at 4:11pm PDT