Alex de Minaur spills on ‘miracle’ superfan’s secret power

Above the din on Court Suzanne Lenglen during his duel with Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur could hear one cheerleader in particular – and he swears it was the voice that helped him pull off a “miracle” at Roland Garros.

The young ‘superfan’, a 14-year-old Parisian local called Paul, has become the Australian’s lucky mascot on his breakthrough run to the quarter-finals of the French Open.

For the second match running, de Minaur was grateful to the teenager, a player himself, for his unstinting, animated support in the stands on Monday as the Aussie No.1 defeated Medvedev in four sets on the second showcourt at Roland Garros.

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The Sydneysider had been so impressed by Paul’s non-stop cheering on the sidelines of a tight outside court on Saturday, when he beat Jan-Lennard Struff in a match that dragged on and off for eight hours, he swore the lad had “given me life” and later put out a request on Instagram to find out if anyone knew who the youngster was.

“Through the beautiful world of social media, we ended up finding him and we got him to the match,” de Minaur explained after Monday’s Medvedev showdown.

“He came with his whole crew, with his mates and his coach. It was great to see him out there.

“Again, even on that big court, I could hear him after every single point. It’s a distinctive voice, so it’s great to see.”

Asked if Paul would be invited to the quarter-final, de Minaur beamed: “Oh, 100 per cent. He’s managed a miracle — (I) might have to get him on tour week in, week out.

“He’ll be chilling with me tomorrow in my practice day, and of course he’ll be there for the very next match.”

Paul has become such a celebrity, he even found himself interviewed by film crews after the match.

“He said to me, ‘You are a legend, come and see my next match’,” the youngster told Stan Sport, explaining how de Minaur had signed his tennis cap and given him a towel.

“Alex is amazing, he never gives up and he has an amazing game.

“It’s so cool, very exciting – I love Alex. Go Alex. Go Alex.”

The tennis world has been blown away by their relationship.

Popular tennis freelancer Bastien Fachan said on social media: “Alex de Minaur and his little French fan/lucky charm Paul are the most wholesome story of this year’s Roland-Garros.”

A fan said: “This (is what) sport is all about. Imagine the boost for this kid! Thanks Alex De Minaur for playing great tennis and being such an inspiration for youngsters. You rock!”

And another: “You won’t find a better scene in Roland Garros today. Lovely gesture from Alex de Minaur, which his young fan will never forget. That’s how you inspire young kids for the beautiful sport of tennis 👌.”

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