Alex de Minaur has been hailed for his uplifting act of sportsmanship as he got his Australian Open campaign off to an ideal start with a straight-sets victory over Botic van de Zandschulp on Tuesday night.

The eighth seed was serving for the second set when a new ball was added to the court to replace one that had gone missing, which would usually help the server as they are bouncier and quicker than the older balls.

Instead of taking the advantage, de Minaur discussed the addition with the umpire, then approached the net and offered van de Zandschulp the chance to knock back the new ball. 

The kind move was hailed by Aussie tennis great Todd Woodbridge in commentary for Channel Nine.

‘Alex showing some incredible sportsmanship there, he didn’t really have to tell Botic there was a brand-new ball in there. If he takes that and serves, it’s going to come off faster,’ he said.

Pictured: The moment Alex de Minaur offered his first-round opponent Botic van de Zandschulp the chance to knock back a new ball that would’ve helped him win the second set

The eighth seed (pictured showing the new ball to the umpire) was hailed for his fairness after the surprising act

De Minaur said he is in peak physical shape after the win – and his path to a deep run at the tournament has been made far easier due to Stefanos Tsitsipas’s shock loss

His co-commentator, recently retired Aussie star John Millman, replied, ‘Not just that, he said he will not serve with this new ball to this game. He’s given it back to the umpire.

‘That is incredible sportsmanship because normally as a server you want the ball to be as new as possible.’

After the win, de Minaur declared he’s at his fighting best as fans anticipate him making a deep run in his home grand slam.

Hunting a maiden major title, de Minaur lived up to his star billing as the top-ranked local, needing only 26 minutes to claim the first set on Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday night before disposing of his highly rated rival 6-1 7-5 6-4.

He then headed straight to cheer his fiancee, British 22nd seed Katie Boulter, to a hard-fought victory over Canadian Rebecca Marino 6-4 3-6 7-5.

The eighth seed will start a huge favourite in the second round when he meets grand slam debutant, American qualifier Tristan Boyer.

The world No.136 out-lasted Argentine Federico Coria 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 4-6 7-5 6-1 earlier in the night.

After being hindered by a serious hip issue for much of 2024, De Minaur said his body was the best he’d felt for a long time.

‘The body is exactly where I wanted it to be,’ the 25-year-old said.

‘I’ve put in countless hours over the better part of six months to get to this point and I’m feeling good, feeling comfortable moving, sliding from one side to the other and not really thinking about my hip.

‘The body feels great – it’s been a long time since it’s felt this good – that’s obviously an incredible positive.’

De Minaur didn’t have it all his own way with Van de Zandschulp blowing two set points in the second set, but the crowd favourite showed his customary grit to stay on task.

De Minaur made a beeline to see his fiancee Katie Boulter win her first match of the Open in straight sets (pictured)

He then broke his opponent and wrapped up the set with an ace.

While now ranked a lowly 82nd in the world, Van de Zandschulp ousted four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz from last year’s US Open and has been as high as No.22 before being hindered by injuries.

The pair went toe to toe in the third set with Van de Zandschulp showing off his athleticism and racquet skills to stay in the fight against the ‘speed demon’.

At 1-1 and 40-40 the big Dutchman had the crowd on their feet and earned the applause of the Sydneysider with an incredulous tweener that proved a cross-court winner.

Gunning to become the first men’s local champion since Mark Edmondson in 1976, de Minaur got the break of serve to go ahead 5-4 to put victory in sight.

He sealed the win in style, nailing his 13th ace of the match.

Should the 25-year-old make the Open quarter-finals for the first time, after falling in round four on his past three visits, he is likely to strike world No.1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner.