For the first time in his career, Alex de Minaur has earned himself a place in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
On Monday, the Australian will face Cristian Garin in a bid to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the second time in his career, having also reached that stage at the 2020 US Open.
Before the match, Adolfo Gutierrez, De Minaur’s lifelong coach, spoke to ATPTour.com about his student’s current form, his year so far, and the secret to their long, successful relationship.
“Being in the last 16 at a Grand Slam is always significant for a player’s confidence, seeing that the hard work and dedication brings rewards,” explained Gutierrez in London.
“Ultimately, all tournaments are important, but the majors are special, and we always want to do as well as possible in these weeks because of what it means to the players.
“This year we started very well, and we’ve had some continuity with good results that we hope to continue having during the second half of the season.
After a lifetime together, the player and coach maintain a healthy and successful relationship that continues to bear fruit, as they have demonstrated this week at Wimbledon. The key is very simple.
However, after so much time together, Gutierrez continues to discover things about De Minaur that surprise him, despite sharing so many hours of the day together.
“I always thought that he couldn’t surprise me much after so much time, knowing him so well, but above all he continues to surprise me with his ability to turn a match around when it suddenly gets tough,” he said.
“It’s as if he were a different player and he changes everything as if it were no big deal, as if it were normal, which I think is very difficult.”