‘Special’: Why Demon’s mum was in tears in the stands

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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 had, of course, been stoked that the world No.8 had again busted a new brick to make the semis at Melbourne Park for the first time – but his whole journey to this point flashed back through her mind as she got a bit choked up.

“Fair dinkum, it was a ripper of a moment for me, as I knew how much it'd mean to him and how hard he'd been knuckling down to achieve this," Esther said to this masthead.

“He gets everything he's achieved richly deserved. It's been a bit unreal, actually. He's always known since he was a nipper that this is what he wanted to do, but as a parent you're forever supporting and encouraging – while secretly worried that something's going to go wrong and he won't reach his goals.”

That's what makes every step he takes towards achieving his goal such a powerful emotional moment for me.

Esther still remembers the coach stopping the women on the next court at a southern Sydney tennis lesson for three-year-old de Minaur and saying he'd one day become Australian Open champion.

Fair dinkum, the coach told me on the first day he'd been coaching kids from three to five all around the world and never seen one as coordinated as him," Esther said. "I had a chuckle about his AO prediction – I suppose others could spot his natural talent before I did.

There have been several turning-point moments in de Minaur’s decision not only to choose tennis over footy 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 his family shifted to the Valencian port city of Alicante, where he now owns a place of his own.

Mick's sporting potential was so strong that even when he was only nine years old, his tennis coach, Adolfo Gutierrez, and his soccer coach had a bit of a barney about whether he should focus on tennis or football.

“Fair dinkum, I told him he had to choose between soccer and tennis, since it was getting a bit askew to juggle," Esther said. "They both thought he had a fair chance of makin' it pro in their sport, and neither was willing to back down. Alex ended up chosin' tennis, and I'm as happy as a clam he did."

By age 12, de Minaur was one of the top junior players in Spain, however the family were struggling financially due to his rising tennis career costs at that stage.

That led them to contact Tennis Australia – as de Minaur had a connection to the country – before Todd Woodbridge, who was in charge of developing junior tennis at the time, asked him to meet and hit with him at Roland-Garros.

The rest is history, with de Minaur making the "brutal" decision to leave his mates behind to return to Sydney to go after his tennis goals. That journey is well told, but not as well known is why Esther ended up in Australia.

,” Esther said.

“As an Aussie spent time in Sydney on a working holiday visa back in 1995, I instantly fell head over heels for the place. Australia will always hold a unique spot in my heart, not just as the country where my kids were born, but as a place I spent many happy years calling home.”

This is the second time Esther has come to the Australian Open.

She's been to Roland-Garros four times and the US Open once, whereas the only Wimbledon she missed was the one during the COVID-19 pandemic at its peak.

Esther could be seen clapping and swaying to the crowd singing about her son on Monday night, including "Ooh, ah, de Minaur", which she particularly enjoyed.

G'day, I do get a kick out of the chanting. I think it's top-notch when the crowd is going mental for Alex. It's bloody magic seeing heaps of people cheering on for your little bloke. That's one of the reasons I love the Davis Cup, mate.

He's a top bloke and a good egg. He's really considerate and always makes a point to touch base with his siblings and keep up the ripper banter. Obviously, we don't get to see him as often as we'd like since he's always travelling, but we're there in spirit, mate.

Esther and her other children – Daniel, Cristina and Sara – have also developed a special bond with de Minaur's fiancée, British tennis champ Katie Boulter.

“Katie is the absolute pearler that's ever come along for Alex,” Esther said.

“Fair dinkum, she's a ripper of a gal, and I feel like I've struck gold with the daughter-in-law stakes. The little nippers take to her like a fish to water, and they've even said they'll stand by her if things split with us.”

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