This post was originally published on this site.
Alex De Minaur has climbed past Lleyton Hewitt in the all-time prize money rankings this week. The Australian cashed in $963,000 after winning the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in London.
De Minaur made his first appearance after a promising semifinal exit in the ATP Finals. He defeated Casper Ruud in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown final 11-15, 15-10, 15-11, 16-7.
Thanks for the submission!
The 26-year-old not only overtook his Australian compatriots, Nick Kyrgios and Daria Kasatkina, but also edged his mentor and former Grand Slam champion, Lleyton Hewitt. Here are the top 10 Australians to earn the most amount of prize money in tennis.
The Ultimate Tennis Showdown is an international tennis league that started in 2020. It was founded by coach Patrick Mouratoglou and businessman Alex Popyrin, father of pro tennis player Alexei Popyrin.
Interestingly, Lleyton Hewitt has mentored De Minaur since his early days and often spotted travelling with him on tour. The former is also Australia’s Davis Cup captain since 2016.
During an interview at the Australian Open this year, De Minaur spoke about his learnings from Hewitt and how the veteran has helped him improve in his career.
“More than anything, his advice has always been that, you know, the first week of a slam is there to find a way and get through. Doesn’t matter how you do it, whether it’s pretty or ugly, you just have to find a way to get yourself to the second week,” Alex De Minaur said
“In the second week of a slam, anything can happen. You start playing with confidence. You have played four matches already, feeling the conditions, the balls, the atmosphere, and then you’re not that far off from the big title,” he added
The Australian reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open this year. Despite a spirited performance against Jannik Sinner, the top seed defeated him in straight sets.
“I need to get my hands on a Slam to be even close to being in the same conversation as some of the Aussie greats” – Alex De Minaur
Alex De Minaur is among the top 10 players on tour. Apart from winning the title in Washington, he also secured a runner-up finish in Rotterdam this year.
During a recent interview on ‘The Sit-Down podcast‘, De Minaur spoke about the state of Australian tennis and what it means to represent his country.
“It’s great to be a part of it. I feel like this is where our nation deserves to be. We have got such a rich history and culture when it comes to tennis. It’s great to be able to show it.”
“We are a very strong Grand Slam nation and we are in deep, just showing it with strength in numbers. Whether it is myself, whether it is any other Aussie, just to have good results out there it means the world,” Alex De Minaur said
He also dismissed comparisons with past Australian greats, saying he must win a Grand Slam before being placed in that conversation.
“The way I see it is that I feel I have a long way to go,” added De Minaur. “I need to get my hands on a Slam to be even close to being in the same conversation as some of the Aussie greats before me. I have plenty of work to do, but hopefully one day,” Alex De Minaur added
Margaret Court, Pat Cash, Lleyton Hewitt, and Ash Barty are some of the most successful tennis players from Australia. Court still holds the record of winning 24 Grand Slam titles, the most in women’s tennis so far.
Edited by Aman Mohamed
