Alex de Minaur’s win on Monday night to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals was not all his mum was thinking about when her emotions overflowed afterwards.
Esther de Minaur was, of course, delighted that the world No.8 had again broken new ground to make the last eight at Melbourne Park for the first time – but his whole journey to this point raced through her mind as she wiped away tears.
“It was an incredible moment for me because I knew how much it meant to him and how hard he’s been working to achieve this,” Esther told this masthead.
“He deserves every bit of success he achieves. It’s been surreal, in a way. He knew from when he was a kid that that’s what he wanted to do, but as a parent, you always support and encourage – but worry at the same time that something will go wrong, and he won’t achieve his dream.
“That’s why each step towards his goal is a very emotional moment for me.”
Esther still recalls how the coach for the then-three-year-old de Minaur’s first Tiny Tots Tennis lesson in southern Sydney stopped the women playing on the next court to say he would be an Australian Open champion one day.
Esther de Minaur with a 12-year-old Alex at the Nike Junior Tour Masters.Credit: Esther de Minaur
“The coach already told me day one that he had coached kids [aged] three to five all over the world and had never seen a kid as coordinated as him,” Esther said. “I laughed [about his AO prediction] – I guess others could see his talent before me.”
There are several sliding doors moments in de Minaur’s choice not only to pursue tennis over soccer, and even golf, but to do so for Australia.
The future top-10 star spent the first five years of his life in Sydney before the family relocated to the Valencian port city of Alicante, where he now owns a home of his own.
De Minaur’s athletic talent even saw his tennis coach to this day, Adolfo Gutierrez, and soccer coach butt heads when he was only nine years old over which sport he should pursue.
Alex de Minaur’s mum Esther and fiancee Katie Boulter embrace after his fourth-round win on Monday night.Credit: Eddie Jim
“I told him he had to choose between soccer and tennis, since it had become impossible to manage,” Esther said. “They both thought he could make it as a professional in their sport, and neither wanted to budge. Alex was the one who chose tennis in the end, and I’m so glad he did.”
By age 12, de Minaur was one of the best tennis prospects in Spain, but the family were struggling at that stage to finance his burgeoning career.
That led to them contacting Tennis Australia – given de Minaur was born in the country – before Todd Woodbridge, then in charge of junior development, invited him to Roland-Garros to meet and hit.
The rest is history, with de Minaur making the “brutal” decision to leave his friends behind to return to Sydney to chase his tennis dreams. That journey is well told, but less known is why Esther ended up in Australia.
“I was in love with Australia since I was a little girl due to a kids’ show called Secret Valley. The music to it was Waltzing Matilda,” Esther said.
“I could finally go on a working holiday visa to Sydney in 1995, and fell in love with it straight away. Australia holds a very special place in my heart, not just as the birthplace of my boys, but as a place I called home for many years.”
This is the second Australian Open that Esther has attended.
She has travelled to Roland-Garros four times and the US Open once, while the only Wimbledon she missed in de Minaur’s career was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Esther de Minaur celebrates her son’s Australian Open win on Monday night.Credit: Eddie Jim
Esther could be seen clapping and swaying as the crowd sung about her son on Monday night, including “Ooh, ah, de Minaur”, which she particularly loved.
“I do enjoy the chants. I love the crowd support for Alex. It’s always special to see huge crowds cheering for your son. That’s one of the reasons I love Davis Cup,” she said.
“He’s an amazing son and human being. He’s very thoughtful and makes sure he checks in with his siblings often and keeps up the banter. We obviously don’t see him as often as we wish due to his travel, but we’re there in spirit every minute.”
Esther and her other children – Daniel, Cristina and Sara – have also developed a special relationship with de Minaur’s fiancee, British tennis star Katie Boulter.
“Katie is the best thing that could have ever happened to Alex,” Esther said.
“She is an amazing human being, and I feel like I won the lottery in the daughter-in-law department. My kids adore her, too. They even say they’ll side with Katie if they ever split.”
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