De Minaur wins Newk medal for fourth time; young gun Cruz Hewitt’s hip ailment

Alex de Minaur is fast chasing down Ash Barty’s Newcombe Medal career-haul after claiming Tennis Australia’s prized individual award for the fourth time overall and third year in a row.

And two Australian greats believe it’s within world No.7 de Minaur’s grasp to break through to a grand slam semi-final and lead the pack of elite players behind world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz and world No.2 Jannik Sinner.

De Minaur’s latest award came as news emerged that top Australian junior Cruz Hewitt had been sidelined by a hip injury. But the ailment is not expected to derail his summer.

Ensconced in the world’s top 10, de Minaur was the clear choice as this year’s Newcombe medallist after reaching his sixth career grand slam quarter-final at the US Open and making the final four at the season-ending ATP Finals.

But Australian legend John Newcombe says the 26-year-old must focus on a “slightly better serve - on the big points” to take the next career step.

“De Minaur’s progression has been fantastic – each year he gets that little better,” Newcombe said.

“And I think myself, like everybody else says, ‘Oh, come on Alex, if you just had a better serve, you’d be in the top four’.

“So let’s hope that he can do something about that.”

De Minaur first entered the upper echelon of men’s tennis early last year and is banging on the door of the world’s top five. The gutsy right-hander went down to Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in four sets in a final-eight showdown in New York in arguably his best chance to reach a debut grand slam semi.

Along with women’s world No.32 Maya Joint and adopted Australian Daria Kataskina (also ranked inside the WTA top 40), de Minaur will spearhead the local hopes at next month’s Australian Open, where his nemesis Sinner will be gunning for a third straight title.

Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has no doubt that a major semi-final is imminent for de Minaur.

“Absolutely. He was so close to making a semi at the US Open, [and] even at Wimbledon the last couple of years,” Hewitt said.

“There are certain chances – the Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon are his best bets.”

Two-time major champion Hewitt says de Minaur is “right in there” among the pack chasing Sinner and Alcaraz, who have created the sport’s latest hot rivalry by sharing the past eight majors.

“The top two are clearly the top two in the world,” said Hewitt of the dynamic duo.

“And if you’re not in [their] section[s], Alex can beat anyone, especially over five sets. I think it plays into his hands as well, with fitness and how consistent he is.

“You’ve got to keep putting yourself in that position, and hopefully the doors will open.

“You never know. These guys are on fire at the moment, but can they sustain it forever? Who knows?

“Apart from those top two guys, he’s right [in there] leading that next pack.”

De Minaur has been the stand-alone Newcombe Medal winner in 2023 and 2025 – combined with sharing the medal with doubles star Matt Ebden last year – taking advantage of five-time champion Barty’s retirement from tennis three years ago, when the then world No.1 and reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion walked away from the sport at the top of her game.

This year’s nominees for “the Newk” included men’s players Adam Walton and Tristan Schoolkate and WTA players Joint, Priscilla Hon and Kimberly Birrell, who has climbed into the world’s top 100.

De Minaur’s first time atop the podium at Tennis Australia came seven years ago when he shared the award with Barty as the former world No.1 began her charge on the WTA tour.

In career achievements for de Minaur this year, he booked a spot in the last four of the ATP Finals in Turin last month by beating top 10 rival Taylor Fritz – his first victory at the season-ending championship.

Against the odds, de Minaur finished second behind Alcaraz in their group to qualify for the semi-finals. He was only the third Australian ever to do so after John Newcombe (1973-74) and Hewitt, the 2001 and 2002 winner and 2004 finalist. He also achieved his highest season-ending ranking (world No.7).

De Minaur was not in Melbourne to receive his award but shared his sincere gratitude.

“It’s been a great year. I’m very proud of everything that I’ve achieved,” he said in a video message.

“Of course, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without an incredible team around me that continuously pushed me very hard to continue to try and achieve and get the most out of myself.

“I just appreciate everything that I’ve been given, and I’m very proud to be an Australian tennis player with all the steps forward that we have made.”

In other awards, young gun Hewitt won the junior athlete of the year (male) award. Hewitt was pipped for the same award last year by Hayden Jones. Jones’ sibling, Emerson Jones, 17, was named junior athlete of the year (female), after climbing the rankings to women’s world No.150.

Cruz update: Minor ailment for young gun

Cruz Hewitt’s summer plans are still being finalised by his team after the teenager this year played a mix of junior and senior events, including reaching his first men’s final in March – a $25,000 event in Launceston.

That came in the aftermath of Hewitt’s exposure to growing expectations at the Australian Open when the son-of-a-champion was awarded a qualifying wildcard. The lanky right-hander lost first-up to seasoned tour player Nikoloz Basilashvili but went on to play the junior events at all four grand slams.

A source with knowledge of Tennis Australia’s selection processes confirmed Cruz was again being considered for a wildcard for the qualifying event at January’s Australian Open.

World No.735 Hewitt got to his highest junior ranking (40) in May, but the glare shone brightly on him last month when he partnered with his famous father Lleyton, a two-time major winner, for doubles competition at the NSW Open. Team Hewitt won in their first collaboration, beating Hayden Jones and Pavle Markinov 6-1, 6-0.

The precise next step for Hewitt, who turns 17 this week, is unclear. “Not really sure at this stage, to be honest,” said Lleyton Hewitt on Monday night.

“We’ll see what opportunities he gets, we’ll sort of play it by ear.

“He had a bit of an injury a couple of weeks ago. He’s just … getting over that now.

“It’s probably a good time to sort of just put the racquets down for a little bit anyway. He’ll build over the next couple of weeks.”

Cruz Hewitt’s hip niggle came late last month at an event in Playford, in suburban Adelaide, and stopped the father-son pairing taking to the court again.

“I had a little bit of a problem with my hip in Adelaide, but [I’m] slowly getting back, and I’m looking forward to training and giving my all at AO 2026,” the teenager said.

He said last January’s exposure at Melbourne Park would only benefit him.

“That helped a lot, that experience,” said Cruz, who stands 185cm, towering over his father.

“I was very lucky to have the crowd on my side ... that was a lot of fun.

“Playing such great players, you learn so much with the mental and also the playing styles.

“So I just tried to learn from it. But it was a great experience playing in front of that crowd.”

Hewitt said he planned to prioritise senior competition over junior contests in 2026.

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