Alex De Minaur: New documentary looks at ATP Tour star’s Australian summer | ATP Tour

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De Minaur Down Under: New documentary follows ATP Tour stars’ Australian summer

The film features exclusive interviews with the De Minaur team and fiancée Katie Bolt

January 22, 2026

“It’s very exciting for him to be back in Australia. You can see when he gets off the plane there’s always a spring in his step.”

Coach Matt Reid, like the rest of Alex de Minaur’s team, knows exactly what any trip to Australia means for sixth in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Playing at home, especially with the intense focus of a Grand Slam tournament like the Australian Open, could affect different players in different ways. Some struggle to handle the higher expectations and attention, while others thrive on the added support and atmosphere they get from being a local favorite.

De Minaur has no doubt this applies to him.

“They get me excited and I love that,” the 26-year-old told the Australian crowd in a new behind-the-scenes ATP documentary. Underground Demon. “You’ll never see me show as much emotion as I do in Australia. It gets louder and I love it.

“The Australian Open is my home Grand Slam. It’s the most important event on my calendar and I really want to do well in it. It’s my home Grand Slam, full of energy, full of crowd support and one of the best places ever.”

That’s not to say De Minaur’s journey in Australia has been smooth sailing. He has the weight of an entire country on his shoulders as he awaits his first Australian Open men’s singles title since Mark Edmondson in 1976. The focus is particularly high in the week leading up to the hard-court Grand Slam in Melbourne, where De Minaur must balance being an ambassador for his hometown Grand Slam with his own meticulous preparation for the event itself.

“Everyone wants a piece of him,” said Kathryn Oyeniyi, De Minaur’s team manager. “He was pulled ahead of schedule to release media commitments and sponsor appearances. There was no downtime.”

De Minaur added: “It’s crazy. It’s absolutely crazy. Some people think that the week before a Grand Slam you can decide everything in the schedule and just focus on yourself. But that’s not the case. There are a million commitments… just making sure I go into the Australian Open in the right way because that’s the ultimate goal.”

De Minaur strives to surround himself with the right people to help him cope with everything that comes with being an elite athlete. In addition to Reid and Oyeniyi, he has long-time coach Adolfo Gutierrez and strength and conditioning coach Francisco Chijano Calderon in his inner circle, while his fiancée, WTA star Katie Boult, is a source of ongoing support.

“At the end of the day, I trust my team, essentially with my life,” said de Minaur, the 10-time ATP Tour champion. “They often know me better than I know myself, and they always give me good advice. That’s often what I need to hear sometimes. [Like when] I need some tough love… They know the place, the moment and everything and that’s why I can go out and perform. ”

De Minaur is well aware of the legacy he is leaving on tennis as the current number one Australian in the PIF ATP rankings. While he is on a mission to move up the rankings and challenge for Grand Slam titles, he also recognizes the impact he can have on shaping the future of the country’s tennis landscape.

“From Rod Laver to Ken Rosewall to Roach (Tony Roach) to Leighton [Hewitt]Pat Rafter, [John] Newcomb…once you start making the list, it’s almost never-ending,” DeMinaur said. “One thing I always say is if I could be mentioned in the same conversation as any of these greats, I would have had an incredible career.

“I want my legacy to be remembered as not only being a decent tennis player but doing my best to inspire the next generation.”

So could De Minaur’s big breakthrough come at the 2026 Australian Open? A year ago, the Sydney native reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne and reached the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slams. Further challenges for the most important titles in tennis such as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are now on the agenda.

“We’ve been trying to take more risks under pressure because you don’t have a lot of opportunities against better players like Sinner and Alcaraz,” Reed said. “Just commit to it, live and die on your terms.”

Whatever happens at Melbourne Park this year, De Minaur will not be distracted from his pursuit of further success. Any outside noise – whether it’s the cheers of his adoring hometown fans or questions about his ability to compete against the best in the world – only spurs him on.

“I know I have a lot of desire and drive inside of me, and I’m always willing to prove people wrong.”