- Alex de Minaur established an unlikely bond with a young fan
- Australia launched a public appeal to locate a young man
- De Minaur eliminated German star Jan-Lennard Struff
Alex de Minaur had only one destination immediately after his historic victory in the third round at Roland Garros: to run and give a hug to the young fan on the court who he swore had given him life during his most difficult battles at the French Open.
Under the hammer against the great hitter Jan-Lennard Struff in a miserable, cold and rain-interrupted duel that lasted more than eight hours, De Minaur thought about the vision of the boy who defied the elements and never stopped cheering him on. The whole day was what kept him going.
And he was so impressed by his new No. 1 fan that De Minaur, who gave his cheerleader a souvenir towel after her 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 victory, then made a call on social media to find out. the name of the young woman who saved him so he could thank her properly.
‘I need to find the name of this legend!!! Send me a message on Instagram, I need you for the next round,” wrote De Miñaur, after Roland Garros published a film of the young man supporting him on court 14.
Alex de Minaur beat German Jan-Lennard Struff with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 victory
De Minaur went straight up to hug a young fan after his victory in the third round of the French Open.
“That young man was there from the first point to the last with a five-hour delay due to rain,” De Miñaur told reporters.
‘He was a little boy who screamed in my face every time he changed sides, every point he won.
“I look at it and think if I was a fan, I’d probably be back home, because it was so cold out there!
‘I don’t understand what this kid is doing, but oh, he gave me life.
‘Every change of ending I look at him, looking him in the eyes.
‘And in the end I just gave him a hug. I was like, man… it was a relief more than anything.
‘It was incredible. I appreciate this guy, the fact that he spent 10 hours on the court today in the freezing cold cheering me on. “I was happy to be able to get a win with him.”
Later, De Minaur launched a public appeal to locate the young fan.
De Minaur is the first Australian in 17 years to reach the round of 16 in singles since Lleyton Hewitt
When asked what prize he had given the boy, De Minaur seemed almost embarrassed.
‘I gave him a towel. Actually, I would have given him everything in my bag. I mean, he just wasn’t thinking clearly about emotions, but he deserved it all!’