Alex de Minaur claimed the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in London on Sunday, defeating World No. 12 Casper Ruud in a thrilling final. The World No. 7 pocketed $964,000, including a $390,000 winner’s cheque and a $250,000 bonus from a prior UTS event in France. In the process, the Aussie etched his name in history, surpassing Lleyton Hewitt’s record and marking a remarkable rise in his career.

Alex de Minaur has become the highest-earning male prize-money winner in Australian tennis history, surpassing the long-standing record held by Lleyton Hewitt. His latest success at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown saw him walk away with nearly $1 million, marking one of the biggest paydays of his career. This milestone pushes him past Hewitt, who earned $20,890,470, and makes de Minaur the top male prize-money earner in Australian tennis.

He is now 31st on the ATP all-time prize-money list and is closing in on several legendary names. He also lifted the lightning bolt trophy for the second straight year, a symbol that looks like something Zeus himself would carry. The 26-year-old now has more than US$21 million, around $32 million Australian, in career earnings.

To put that in perspective, Ivan Lendl earned $21,262,417 in his great career, while Boris Becker collected $25,080,956. The comparison highlights how much prize money has grown in modern tennis.

De Minaur is also on track to become the highest-earning Australian player overall in the coming years. Although he now holds the men’s record, Ash Barty still leads the national list with $23,829,070. Sam Stosur sits behind her with $20,070,126.

Since the UTS began five years ago, de Minaur has now won three titles. After lifting the trophy at London’s Copper Box Arena last year, he has now claimed back-to-back wins at the home venue of his fiancée, Katie Boulter.

He defeated Casper Ruud 3-1 in Sunday’s final, winning 11-15, 15-10, 15-11, 16-7. “It’s amazing to win here again,” he said. “London is a special place for me, and my home now. There’s no rest for me. I might take Monday off, but then it’s back on court practising for the new season.”

With his preseason appearances already bringing in major earnings, even Nick Kyrgios has praised the “tennis Demon’s” divine year.

Nick Kyrgios tips de Minaur to challenge tennis’s rising “New Two”

After another standout season, Alex de Minaur is set to collect his fourth Newcombe Medal at Australian tennis’s night of nights in Melbourne on Monday. Only Ash Barty, with five awards, has won more. De Minaur will also surpass Samantha Stosur’s run of three consecutive medals from 2010 to 2012.

The 26-year-old reached the semi-finals of the season-ending ATP championship, joining his mentor Lleyton Hewitt and John Newcombe as only the third Australian to achieve the feat. He also matched his career-high ranking of world No. 6 in October.

De Minaur remains the only Australian man since Hewitt, two decades ago, to break into the top 10. Even Nick Kyrgios peaked at world No. 13 after reaching the 2022 Wimbledon final.

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Now, Kyrgios believes it may still be early to call de Minaur a future Grand Slam champion. However, he places him firmly among the players ready to strike, especially if Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner falter at the Australian Open.

“Demon’s doing an amazing job, to be honest. He’s a genuine contender, I think. Maybe not at a grand slam over best of five with the way Alcaraz and Sinner are playing right now. But if one of those guys go down early, I would say that Demon’s one of the other three or four people that genuinely has a chance to do it,” Kyrgios said.

He praised de Minaur’s intensity and professionalism. “We all know how hard he works. I’ve been around him and his competitiveness and work ethic is literally probably second to none.”

Kyrgios also pointed out that success is not defined by major titles alone. “But look, regardless, he may not ever win a grand slam, or he may not ever win a Masters event or whatever it is, but I like what he’s doing now. It is still incredible. He’s been top 10 now for years and he’s already done things that are incredible.”

With such strong support from an Australian icon, de Minaur now turns toward his home Slam. Fans will hope the “Demon” can finally produce a deep run at the Australian Open.