ATP Coach of the Month: Adolfo Gutierrez | ATP Tour

Coach’s Corner

ATP Coach of the Month: Adolfo Gutierrez

This long-lasting bond has been key in Alex de Minaur’s rise to the Top 10 of the ATP Tour

July 12, 2024

Imagine the figure of a tennis coach from the bench. Sheltered behind sunglasses, attentive to every point in the matches. Observe the tennis player on the court, looking for his coach, trying to find that necessary support in the toughest moments of the competition. It is a permanent image in a sport of maximum mental demand, where the connection with the box is one more blow in the repertoire. A link that can sustain emotions in the biggest tournaments on the circuit.

Now, think that this coach has been that support since the tennis player was a child. Watching him grow, helping him mature, building together a dream path to the top of the sport. Always together, with a connection that has lasted a lifetime. Adolfo Gutiérrez (Alicante, 1975) embodies that figure following in the footsteps of the Australian Alex de Miñaur, current No. 6 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

The Spanish coach, recognized as ATP Spotlight of the Month for June, talks to ATPTour.com about a memorable journey, making loyalty and mutual trust the key to turning a child into one of the biggest stars in professional tennis.

“Since I met him, when he arrived at the club at 8 or 9 years old, it has been a long journey with a child who loved tennis,” recalls Adolfo, who welcomed De Miñaur to a club in Alicante, when Alex was barely above the height of the net. “Above all, he liked to compete. If I had to define it in some way, we would say that it has been a beautiful journey, in which the dreams we always imagined have become reality. That ‘imagine that one day we will play…’ has been fulfilled and with more than enough.”

^{Alex de Minaur and Adolfo Gutiérrez have one of the longest-lasting relationships on the ATP Tour. Photograph: Esther de Minaur.}

In a sport that is prone to change, with tours around the world and constant demands every week, De Miñaur has prioritised stability in his work environment. The Australian, who is going through the best moment of his career in 2024, having entered the world Top 10, has a special weapon in his team. A person who has known him for almost two decades, with whom there are no secrets and full confidence to address any detail of his professional career.

“It is a path in which the connection has been growing without wanting it or having to force it,” Adolfo admits. “Contrary to what people may think, we don’t need to talk a lot to each other. Simply, when he needs it, he knows that I am there. I would like to define myself as a great support in his life. As a father, I have to fight with my family (laughs) but I will always be there for whatever he needs.”

Those words have reflections every week.

“We shared a room and we still do many times. The truth is that it has never bothered us, the relationship between us goes beyond a relationship between coach and player. Since we know each other so well it is easy, we respect each other’s space and the truth is that we get along very, very well.”

Father of two children, aged 8 and 4, Adolfo works on personal connection from a normal perspective. The current world No. 9 is the same child who trusted his words from day one, the same one who wanted to stay by his side when their paths had to momentarily separate in his teens.

When De Minaur was 12 years old, and one of the most outstanding players in his category, life presented a dilemma in the family environment. The Australian Tennis Federation, aware of the dual nationality of the tennis player, born in Sydney, was interested in financially financing his career, offering him complete development facilities to reach the professional circuit.

^{Alex de Minaur smiles at Adolfo Gutierrez during the 2024 Australian Open. Photograph: Kelly Defina/Getty Images}

That episode that took Alex out of Alicante for a few years, far from breaking the bond between them, served to strengthen the connection they had created from the beginning. As if it were a test of loyalty between them.

“In the end, you surround yourself with people you trust, with whom you have worked before and who have always responded well. We have always relied on people who contribute in the same way that we already had,” admits Adolfo, whose brother Sergio, former world No. 156, has also assisted him for a few weeks on the bench. “In the team I always value honesty and hard work, people who understand that working around a player means doing everything thinking exclusively of his benefit.”

“Within the team, for example, we have Emilio [José Poveda]who is in charge of the physiotherapist and fitness trainer duties. I firmly believe in his work and professionalism. We have been working together for nearly 25 years and we know each other perfectly. I simply communicate with him and tell him how I want to see Alex and what he needs to improve. He takes care of the rest,” says Adolfo, proud of a player who has hardly suffered any serious injuries in his career.

^{Adolfo Gutierrez from the bench at Wimbledon. Photography: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}

There are perspectives that only time gives, and that is one of the great advantages of the Australian team. The contrast between the boy who dreamed of reaching the ATP Tour and the man who aspires to any trophy on the circuit passes through Adolfo’s retinas, who has seen all the pages of a book yet to be completed.

“For me, the most important thing is his mental development. He now handles pressure better, the stresses before the match and is more aware of everything that surrounds tennis. He manages everything much better. For me, it is the most important work we have done with Alex,” he explains. “Nothing surprises me anymore after all this time, neither the bad nor the good (laughs). If I have to highlight something, it would be a small leap in professionalism. He knows what he is doing and he is clear about what he needs.”

Under that evergreen cap and legs that are as fast as few in the locker room, there is a hard-working guy who continues to break the mold. A calm boy, with simple habits, who seeks to make a place for himself in history from absolute normality.

“Alex is a calm and well-behaved guy. Maybe a bit disorganised, although Katie (Boulter) is working on it (laughs),” jokes Adolfo, highlighting the figure of his partner, the current biggest figure in British women’s tennis and a fundamental support in Alex’s maturity.

In a 2024 season of unprecedented milestones, De Miñaur is looking for new ceilings to break. As an established figure in the world Top 10, as a contender for the Grand Slam tournaments, but faithful to the people who believed in him from the first days.

“We have always believed that he could do it. It was just a matter of Alex realising it. Apart from the specific work on each surface, there is the confidence of knowing that he can do it. In the end, you work to achieve your goals and we know that it is not easy. Contrary to what many people may think, we have never given up and we have continued every day with that dream in our heads. We have worked hard with that goal but we are not satisfied and we will continue working even harder to continue climbing as many positions as possible. We want to go further and further in the Grand Slams.”

Whatever fate awaits him, De Miñaur will have one thing guaranteed: Adolfo’s trust on the bench to watch over him.