Just two weeks into the 2024 season, it has already been an impressive year for Alex de Minaur (UTR Rating 15.62).
Following three consecutive Top-10 victories in the United Cup – over Taylor Fritz (15.71), Novak Djokovic (16.31), and Alexander Zverev (16.05) – De Minaur made his Top 10 debut on the ATP Tour. That's an improvement of two spots with No. 12 being his previous career high.
Not only that, he also became the first player in six years to topple Djokovic on Australian soil, a place in which the 24-time Slam champion is nearly unbeatable. Djokovic had been on a 43-match win streak Down Under, dating back to 2018.
His start to the season has certainly made De Minaur one to watch heading into the first Grand Slam of the year. He'll also have the support of the home crowd as the highest-ranked Aussie in the men's draw.
From Sydney, born to a Uruguayan father and a Spanish mother, De Minaur spent time in both Australia and Spain growing up. He has proudly represented Australia in his career and even has a ‘109’ tattoo to reflect that he was the 109th athlete to play for Australia in Davis Cup action.
The 24-year-old has made the second week in Melbourne the past two years, but hasn't been able to advance beyond the fourth round. Last year he lost to none other than Djokovic, in what was their first meeting, and in 2022 it was Jannik Sinner (16.27) who ended De Minaur’s run. His best-ever finish at a major was the 2020 US Open quarterfinals.
De Minaur, who has a UTR of 15.72 (putting him at No. 16 on the men's rankings), has been on a steady rise for the past few years. He broke onto the scene in 2018, climbing from world No. 208 to a year-end No. 31. He made his first two ATP finals that year at Sydney and Washington, and was rewarded with the 2018 ATP Newcomer of the Year award.
By the end of 2019, he would have three ATP trophies to his name, his first title coming at his hometown tournament in Sydney. He also claimed titles in Atlanta and Zhuhai.
His biggest success came last year, making his first ATP Masters 1000 final in August at Toronto, complete with a victory over Daniil Medvedev (16.19) in the quarterfinals. He ultimately finished runner-up to Sinner. That performance bumped him from world No. 18 to No. 12 for the first time.
Along the way in 2023, De Minaur pulled out a career-best six Top 10 wins. He has already notched half that in just one tournament in 2024.
Aussie tennis fans will be hoping he can get a couple more en route to a deep run at the Australian Open this coming fortnight. Seeded No. 10, De Minaur opens against a returning Milos Raonic (15.31) and is in the same section as No. 5 seed Andrey Rublev.