The making of ‘The Demon’: His sister’s insight into what shaped him

Alex de Minaur would regularly grow tired as a kid of thumping tennis balls on a brick wall, so would lobby his siblings to hit with him.

His big sister, Natalie de Minaur-Rowley, who is watching her brother’s Australian Open heroics from the stands this year, still remembers the gentle prodigy from those days. She insists he would have succeeded whether he pursued soccer, golf or tennis.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the coordination and talent that the rest of the family have, so I would miss constantly,” Natalie told this masthead.

“Alex would always say, ‘Don’t worry, Natty, it’s OK, you’ll get it next time’. He always had that kindness to go, ‘You just need to practise’.

“When [my husband] Mark and I travelled for our honeymoon, back in 2009, we followed him around for a couple of junior tournaments, and it was cool to see him winning those – but seeing him on the world stage now is amazing, knowing all the hard work is paying off.”

Natalie, 42, is one of de Minaur’s five siblings, including Dominic, 48, Daniel, 23, Cristina, 20, and Sara, who turns 18 in April.

Nat and Dom, as they are better known, have been at all his Australian Open matches this year – a surreal experience that gives her “goosebumps” – and hope there are plenty more to come this fortnight.

“I get nervous, but more so when I’m at home,” she said. “I usually end up doing a bit of a nervous pace around the house when I’m watching on TV.”

De Minaur, the world No.6, is preparing to lock horns with 10th-ranked Kazakh Alexander Bublik in the fourth round as he chases back-to-back quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.

The 26-year-old spoke after beating American Frances Tiafoe about how his weight of wins in recent years, including six career grand slam quarter-finals, had transformed his confidence for the better.

Natalie has noticed changes, too, and said, despite being 16 years older than her tennis star brother, that he inspired her with his determination and never-say-die attitude on the court.

“I see this resolve to really push himself, and I think there’s this quiet confidence,” she said.

“I think all of us, as humans, sometimes let those voices of doubt speak too loud, but he’s in a really good headspace. He’s done the preparation, he’s healthy, he’s playing well, and he’s giving himself a pat on the back, allowing himself to accept how well he’s doing. He sees himself going further.”

De Minaur has spoken about how he is trying to enjoy his success more and not rely on results for his happiness, a topic Natalie has discussed with him many times.

Someone else who has influenced that side of things is de Minaur’s fiancee, fellow player Katie Boulter. They are getting married at the end of this year – and Natalie is thrilled for her younger brother.

“I’m biased, but Alex is such a good guy, and I’m so happy for him because Katie is just the same in that respect,” Natalie said.

“They are so well-suited for one another. You can see how much they respect each other and support each other, and I think they’re going to be incredibly happy together. I met Katie for the first time at the US Open in New York one year, and Alex was pretty excited to introduce her to me.

“We were all feeling a bit nervous, but she’s such a sweetheart, and I couldn’t be happier to see him marry someone as lovely as her.”

Natalie and her husband Mark, who have three children, moved back home to Sydney 13 months ago after a seven-year stint in the United States.

It has been an eye-opener for her to return and witness de Minaur’s star and profile rising in Australia, even if her kids just view him as Uncle Alex, who has a strong and “playful” relationship with his niece and nephews.

De Minaur’s family, like he is, are daring to dream that he could win a grand slam title one day, maybe as soon as this year’s Australian Open, but Natalie is “uber proud” of him regardless of what happens in the future.

“I think he represents tennis in a really positive light for younger kids,” she said.

“His kindness and generosity to start a foundation to support younger players [sums up who he is], just giving back to the sport. That was definitely something that he struggled with, and the family struggled with … because it’s a really tough and expensive sport to break into on the international stage.

“All this reminiscing is going to make me cry. I’m so proud of him.”

Read more of our Australian Open coverage

• Get up to speed with everything from day seven here
• How Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal pocketed this Aussie $480,000
• Too dominant for their own good: What the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry needs

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