By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday April 10, 2025
Photo Source: Mark Peterson/ Corleve
Alex de Minaur has never had any problem staying motivated. But fans might be surprised to learn what is currently driving the man known as “The Demon.”
After his 6-2, 6-2 takedown of Daniil Medvedev the Aussie said that his impending wedding to British star Katie Boulter is the current impetus for his insatiable hunger on court.
“Realistically, what’s driving me at the moment is trying to earn some big bucks for this wedding budget,” De Minaur told Tennis Channel on Thursday. “That’s the only thing on my mind – trying to win as many matches as I can, because I’ve started to look at venues and it’s expensive. I can tell you that.”
Leaving No Stone Unturned
Jokes aside, De Minaur made the Top 10 for the first time in 2024, and he says the experience – and aftermath – has only left him wanting more.
Injuries struck at the wrong time last year, as he suffered a hip injury at Wimbledon, and he couldn’t put forth the all-out physicality that he had become known for.
Now leading the tour with 19 so far this season, The Sydney native is not taking that granted in 2025.
“Just having that hunger – hunger and drive,” he said. “It’s always there, but at the end of last year, putting myself in the position where I’ve wanted to be for so long, but not being physically 100 percent, it really gave me a lot of drive and hunger in the preseason.
“As soon as I was done with Turin and Davis Cup I took two days off, and I went straight into preseason, and I just wanted to keep on improving and keep that momentum. I saw all the things I was able to do without being at my peak physically, so for me, it was all about getting back to 100 percent health and then just playing on momentum and seeing what I could achieve this year.”
Demon on Clay? Still a Demon
The Aussie has worked hard to become a more legitimate force on clay as well. Prior to 2023, he was 15-20 on the surface. Since then he has won 16 of 26 matches, including 2-0 this year and 12-5 since the start of 2024.
De Minaur says his willingness to hit with more trajectory and create more angles has been a big difference maker.
“I’ve really found my feet the last couple years and really started to understand what makes me effective on a clay court,” he said. “The first couple years of my career on the play, I wasn’t very effective. I wasn’t really comfortable on this surface; it’s taken a while to finally understand.”
The current World No.10, who will face either Grigor Dimitrov or Alejandro Tabilo in the quarterfinals at Monte-Carlo, says he still tries to be aggressive, but not without a lot of caution built into his rallies.
“I would say probably the biggest difference is height and spin,” he said. “Natural ground strikes are ultimately a lot heavier. I’m looking to open up the court with angles and depth.
“On a hardcourt my natural ground stroke is already effective, as it is quite flat, but on the clay, it’s a lot less effective, and I need to find different ways to hurt my opponent, and that’s with a lot of variety, with speed, height, angles, depth and still being aggressive whenever I can.”
