Countrymen Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios contrast each other like Tortoise and the Hare
Two of the most visible players from Australia could not be farther apart in terms of passion, presence, and persistence.
No nation treats tennis more like a team sport than Australia, an outgrowth of this nation’s perpetual spirit of collectivism. Yet two of its most visible tennis players embody these values in very different ways – and so we shall see how this plays out more in 2025.
Nick Kyrgios has long cited the team sport of basketball as his true love. And as his run to the 2022 Australian Open doubles title proved, there’ve been moments when Kyrgios can indeed collaborate successfully.
But when the complete story of this extremely watchable yet perplexing player is told, it will largely reveal him as the epitome of an attribute that highly defines tennis: singular devotion to one’s own needs, desires, and choices. Both Kyrgios and the world were excited to see him compete in a major for the first time since the 2022 US Open. Alas, it all went quickly, Kyrgios losing in the first round of the singles and doubles.
Proudly without a coach, prone to cherish independence but also seek care from his support team, Kyrgios’ journey has been marked by many detours, pit stops, and wavering levels of commitment. During the Australian Open, he said that 2025 would probably be his last year on tour.
“When you're competing for the biggest tournaments in the world and you're struggling to win sets physically, it's pretty tough,” Kyrgios said following his singles match. “But I've still got a long year ahead. I'm trusting the process that I can still be able to do some cool things this year at some stage.”
Who knows what’s to come? Perhaps, as Kyrgios would counter, a man playing an individual sport has no need to be accountable to anyone.
Then, 180 degrees in contrast, there’s Alex de Minaur – an exemplary personification of the values that define Australian tennis: relentless focus, hard work, loyalty, and a willingness to join forces with mates of all ages in his pursuit of excellence. On the loyalty front, the 25-year-old de Minaur has had the same coach, Adolfo Gutierrez, for more than 15 years.
He’s also been mentored by Hall of Famer Lleyton Hewitt and, thanks to Hewitt, likely taken in the wisdom of another Hall of Famer, Tony Roche. Inch by inch, de Minaur has willed himself into the top ten.
“It's really about planning,” he said in Melbourne this year. “It's about having a healthy balance. I've got a great team around me that helps me in every kind of step of the way.”
In Australia this year, de Minaur dropped just one set in four matches to reach the quarterfinals. There, he came up the formidable Sinner, losing in straight sets.
“So, hey, I'll survive,” de Minaur said following that match. “I'll keep improving. And if anything, I just need to sit with my team and figure out a way to hurt Jannik on the court. That's ultimately the way we've got to look at it and find different ways because at the moment we don't have it. So back to the drawing board, like I've done my whole career.”