The Last Time… With Alex De Minaur

“The Last Time” that rising Australian player Alex de Minaur hit the indoor hard-courts in Europe, he sped through the draw to his seventh career ATP final at the European Open. “The Last Time” he tried to string a tennis racquet? That was much longer ago, and was a much less a successful attempt. 

The 21-year-old Aussie claimed three titles last year to hit a career-high ranking of World No.18, and he’s eyeing a fourth trophy at the Rolex Paris Masters. 

Currently in the second round in Paris, De Minaur caught up with ATPTour.com after his opening victory to reveal the last time he… 

Missed a flight?
I can confirm that I’ve never missed a flight. So I’m pretty good with that. I’m going to have to throw Marc Polmans under the bus there. He forgets things… I think he’s the one.

Lost something important?
I lost the keys to my house. And that was… that was on a night that I came back home probably a bit too late. I may or may not have had to sleep outside. 

Paid money to rent a court?
That’s… that’s a long time. I honestly cannot remember. I reckon I probably never have had to, because I’ve always been training, you know?

Being famous helped him?
Maybe on the flight back from Australia. I got an extra bag at check in. You know, she felt bad for me for having to withdraw from my home Slam and everything so she gave me, like, a pity extra bag.

Strung a racquet?
I’ve only strung my racquets twice. And it took, my first time two hours and the second time an hour and a half. And I skipped a couple of strings, so I can confirm that I’ve never done it again. 

Cooked for myself or others?
Quarantine, actually. I live by myself so I took it upon myself to try it out and see how it went. And, yeah, it wasn’t horrible! My go-to dish? I would probably go either chili con carne or just some chicken fajitas. 

Met a childhood idol?
I’ve been fortunate to meet a lot of childhood idols and people I’ve looked up to, especially in the tennis world as Australia has such a rich history. I’ve been lucky enough to get my Davis Cup jacket from Rod Laver, I’ve been fortunate enough to have dinner with Muscles [Ken Rosewall], I’ve had Tony Roche as a Davis Cup coach. I’ve been very fortunate.

Shared a hotel room with another player?
I reckon it’s probably juniors. Juniors, I would say. Blake Ellis is the last person I probably shared a room with. 

Asked someone famous for a selfie?
Probably Hugh Jackman, about maybe a year ago. We were lucky enough to get invited to see The Greatest Showman here in Paris, and we managed to see him backstage and get a nice selfie with him.