“He gave me life” – De Minaur on the boy who helped him conquer Struff at Roland-Garros
Alex de Minaur is now seeking out the young fan who cheered him on against Jan-Lennard Struff at Roland-Garros
In a rain-affected match on Court 14, No 11 seed Alex de Minaur battled his way past a challenging opponent in the form of big-hitting German Jan-Lennard Struff.
While De Minaur’s ability to focus and fight for every point across the 10 hours that it took to complete the 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 match was critical, the Aussie had another secret weapon as well: a super-fan.
After the victory, the 25-year-old was seen hugging a young boy in the crowd, who had been cheering him on across the entirety of the match.
Speaking later to the media, De Minaur shared what this support meant to him.
De Minaur boosted by super-fan at Roland-Garros
“That young lad was there from the very first point till the last with five hours of rain delay,” De Minaur explained. “He was this little kid that every single change of ends, every single point I won, he was screaming at my face.”
De Minaur confessed that if he was a fan, he’d likely not have stuck around to watch a match like his on Saturday.
“You know, I’m looking at him and thinking, if I was a fan, I would probably be back home, because it was bloody cold out there.
“I don’t understand what this kid is doing, but, oh, he gave me life. Every single change of ends I’m looking at him, locking eyes with him. I just gave him a hug. I was, like, ‘Mate…’ It was a relief more than anything. It was amazing. I appreciate this kid.
“The fact that he’s spent 10 hours at the court today in the freezing cold pumping me up, I was happy that I was able to get a win together with him.”
Search on for De Minaur’s biggest fan
Following his four-set victory over Struff, De Minaur approached the boy in the crowd, gave him a hug and gifted him a tournament towel.
Now, however, the Aussie is keen to be reunited to further reward his biggest supporter.
“[I] gave him a towel. I would have given him everything in my bag,” De Minaur reflected. “I mean, I just wasn’t thinking straight with the emotions, but he deserved everything; racquets, shoes, whatever he wanted.”
Both De Minaur and the official Roland-Garros account have tweeted on X searching for the boy.
With De Minaur taking on No 5 seed Daniil Medvedev in his first-ever round of 16 at Roland-Garros on Monday, the Australian could do with plenty of support in the stands.
