Mum captured in viral moment as Alex de Minaur spills $665,000 detail about fiancee Katie Boulter
The Aussie tennis star set up a blockbuster quarter-final clash with the World No.1.
Usually it's fiancee Katie Boulter who draws all the attention in Alex de Minaur's player's box at the Australian Open. But on Monday night it was his mum Esther who stole the show in a viral moment.
Esther was seen bursting into tears after her son advanced to the quarter-finals at the Australian Open for the first time in his career, setting up a blockbuster showdown with World No.1 Jannik Sinner. De Minaur's mum could be seen sobbing in her husband's arms before sharing a sweet moment with Boulter, who was sitting in the row in front.
Esther's reaction went viral on social media, with one person writing: "When you become a parent your heart walks outside your body for the first time. It's a vulnerability only other parents will understand. Well done mum." Another person commented: "What tennis is all about. Things you love to see."
Real happiness ♥️
— Kushveer Singh (@SinghKushveer24) January 20, 2025
What tennis is all about. Things you love to see 🙌🏻
— Tweener Tommy (@TweenerTommy) January 20, 2025
First time through to the QF at the #AusOpen for Alex De Minaur. So happy for him and his mum, she made me tear up. 🎾
— bamberee/Bree (@bamberee) January 20, 2025
Alex De Minaur's mum is so cute 😍 #AO2025
— Sami Dowd (@samidowd) January 20, 2025
Alex de Minaur's funny admission about wedding
De Minaur's 6-0 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 victory over rising American Alex Michelsen made him the first Aussie man since Nick Kyrgios in 2015 to make the quarters at the Australian Open. He also became the first Australian to make four-consecutive grand slam quarter-finals since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005 when he went all the way to the final at Melbourne Park.
Speaking to Eurosport after the match, de Minaur joked he's feeling the pressure to make as much prize money as possible to pay for his upcoming wedding with Boulter. "When I'm on the court, and you see me so stressed out, I'm just thinking of the wedding budget," he said. "That's why I'm like, 'I need to win more money, I need to win more matches.' That's all that goes through my head. So now, you know what's going on inside my head."
The prize for making the quarter-finals is a cool $665,000, which will probably put de Minaur's mind at ease. If he can cause a huge boilover and beat Sinner on Wednesday he'll turn that into $1.1 million.
But de Minaur's chances of making a first grand slam semi-final will be severely hampered by the fact he has to play Sinner. The Aussie has a horrid career record of 0-9 against Sinner, including three losses to the World No.1 in 2024.
In their nine career meetings, de Minaur has only ever won one set against Sinner - and that came back in 2020 in a tiebreaker. Sinner beat the Aussie star in straight sets in the Rotterdam final last year, and then again at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup semi-final.
Jannik Sinner struggling physically at Australian Open
But working in de Minaur's favour is the fact Sinner doesn't appear to be at full health. There were concerning scenes during the Italian's win over Holger Rune on Monday afternoon when he was seen shaking uncontrollably and needed to go off court for a medical timeout.
He later revealed he couldn't even warm up for the match properly because he was feeling ill. "I don't want to talk so much about how I felt today. I was not feeling really well," Sinner said in his post-match press conference after the 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-2 win.
"I was struggling physically and I came here as late as possible as I knew that it was going to be very, very difficult, playing against a tough opponent but also playing against myself a little bit. I was a bit dizzy at times."
RELATED:
Nick Kyrgios unleashes tirade amid Novak Djokovic and Tony Jones drama
Spectator's staggering act as Australian Open rocked by awful incident
When does Alex de Minaur play Jannik Sinner at Australian Open?
De Minaur's clash with Sinner has been scheduled for prime time on Wednesday evening at 7.30pm to cash in on the local TV audience. Some had suggested organisers could look to schedule the quarter-final in the heat of the afternoon session if they wanted to do de Minaur a favour, however the forecast is for much cooler weather on Wednesday anyway.
"I'm looking forward to it, obviously," de Minaur said on Monday night. "It's going to be an incredibly tough match and I'm going to have to do something I haven't done before. But why not start here?"