FAMILY BACKS DEMON

IT’S his first ever grand slam quarter-final, but Alex de Minaur’s family will have to watch his US Open clash against Dominic Thiem on television in Spain.

If it were any other year, the de Minaurs would fly to New York to cheer on the world no. 23.

But in 2020, due to COVID-19, only athletes, their limited entourages and

US Open staff are allowed inside tournament grounds

So this year, Dani de Minaur must watch his older brother make history from 6114 kilometres away, at his family home in Alicante.

“Last year, I went to watch Alex in the US Open when he made it to the fourth round, it’s obviously a bit frustrating to not be there with him, but I understand the necessary precautions to keep it a safe environment,” de Minaur said. “It’s really exciting to see all these new players getting the chance to make it that high up into the grand slams, it’s even more exciting for one of them to be my brother.”

To Australia, “the demon” is the future of tennis — at 21, he’s the country’s no. 1 men’s player who just never throws in the towel.

But to siblings Dani, Cristina and Sara, he’ll always Alex, the cheeky older brother who was simply unbeatable at chess. Growing up in both Sydney and Alicante,

de Minaur remembers spending many afternoons with his brother at the family’s Italian restaurant, Giovanni’s on George Street.

“Dad owned it and my Mum was a waiter, a lot of times after school we would go there and we had our table, we used to do homework on it, the pizza cooks would teach us how to make pizza,” de Minaur said.

“We’re really close, it’s a different kind of relationship because as a kid he was always travelling everywhere, so not much time with him, but we have a great relationship,” de Minaur said.

He is currently in New York with just his coach and fitness trainer. He is fighting to become the first Australian man to win the US Open since Lleyton Hewitt in 2001.

De Minaur said he is proud of his brother’s fight through the uncertain year and is backing in today’s quarter-final against world no. 3 Thiem from Austria.