There was a rare appearance from some family members at Wimbledon supporting the Aussie.
Alex de Minaur was able to avoid the carnage for the top seeds at Wimbledon and advance to the second round with his siblings and Katie Boulter all making a rare appearance to support him. Alexander Zverev and Lorenzo Musetti joined Holger Rune (No.9) and Daniil Medvedev (No.10) as the big top 10 seeds to lose in the first round.
But de Minaur avoided another upset having defeated Roberto Carballes Baena in straight sets to set-up a clash with Arthur Cazaux in the next round. De Minaur had a familiar face watching him from the stands with fiancee Boulter in the stands having already won her match the previous day.
Although de Minaur was excited to have his mother and siblings in attendance. De Minar’s mother is often seen with him at the Australian Open and has travelled a little more with the 26-year-old in recent years. However, having his siblings were all together at Wimbledon and it has given him extra motivation.
My mum has definitely started travelling a little bit more frequently, and she tries to make most of the slams,” de Minaur said. “My siblings, it’s a little bit more of a rarer occasion that they come out.
“Obviously this is probably the first time this year they’re all together. So the whole family is out here, which is pretty cool and pretty special. This definitely feels like a second ‘home’ slam for me.”
De Minaur cut a frustrated figure after his French Open exit having felt exhausted after a gruelling schedule in the first-half of the season. However, after skipping multiple events after his Queen’s Club appearance the Aussie is feeling rejuvenated and ready to tackle one of his favourite tournaments.
I knew that going in, I was in a really good head space, and I was hitting the ball really well, so it kind of gave me a sense of calmness,” he added. “I didn’t feel like I was playing with a lot of weight. So it was great, because this match had a bit of everything.
“It had some really good tennis from my side in the first two sets, then he lifted the level and I was in some tough moments, which I was able to play through. Then at the end I ended up raising my level when I most needed it and played a very clutch kind of tiebreak, going after the ball.”
Alex de Minaur clash with Novak Djokovic looms
De Minaur won his quarter-final clash in 2024, but withdrew from his semi-final match with Novak Djokovic because of a hip injury. The World No.11 favours his game on the grass courts with his flat groundstrokes and movement an issue for his opponents.
But de Minuar isn’t looking too far ahead. A potential fourth round clash with Djokovic looms at SW19 and the Aussie knows that would be a huge scalp if he were to reach the round of 16. Djokovic struggled in the heat during his first round match, but advanced to set-up a clash against local favourite Dan Evans.
Djokovic might be viewing this year’s Wimbledon tournament as one of his best opportunities to win a grand slam at the age of 38 having already struggled at the Australian Open and French Open this year. And while the mouthwatering clash would be huge for the Aussie, de Minuar isn’t looking past his next opponent.
“Arthur’s obviously very talented. He’s had some big scalps before, and coming through quallies, he’s playing with a lot of confidence. It’s going to be another battle,” said de Minaur.
