Alex de Minaur was crowned the winner of the 2025 Newcombe Medal at the Australian Tennis Awards, in Melbourne, celebrating his outstanding achievements on the global stage this year.
Australia’s top-ranked player continued his rise in 2025, qualifying for the prestigious ATP Finals for the second consecutive year, where he advanced to the semifinals for the first time.
De Minaur claimed his 10th career title with a commanding run at the ATP 500 event in Washington, part of a tour-leading 43 hard-court wins for the season.
His consistency across the year included quarterfinals at the Australian and US Opens, Masters 1000 quarterfinals in Toronto, Monte Carlo, Shanghai and Paris, a semifinal in Vienna and a run to the final in Rotterdam. De Minaur’s relentless work ethic and speed on court saw him finish the regular season with 55 match wins.
He finished the season at world No.7 – the highest year-end ranking of his career.
“I would like to thank - first of all John Newcombe himself. It’s an incredible honour to receive this medal. Thank you to everyone involved with an incredible event,” De Minaur said.
“It's been a great year. I'm very proud of everything that I've achieved. 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. There are an immense amount of players cracking into the top 100, both in the women's side and in the men's side.
“We are a force to be reckoned with, and I'm extremely proud to be an Australian and to continue to try and improve and get the most out of myself. I'll do both, Australia and John Newcombe very proud. Thank you everyone and hope you guys have a wonderful night.”
John Newcombe was full of praise for De Minaur.
“It’s been an interesting ride for Alex. Just watching him, he’s gradually kept up the pressure, creeping up the rankings and now he’s in the top 10, every year it’s a better performance,” Newcombe said.
De Minaur was one of six exceptional nominees, which included Maya Joint (Qld), Adam Walton (Qld), Kimberly Birrell (Qld), Tristan Schoolkate (WA), and Priscilla Hon (Qld).