Alex de Minaur finished 2018 in a very different position than he started it in. The teenage Australian arrived in Brisbane this year at No. 208 in the ATP Rankings, needing a wild card to get into the main draw of the ATP Tour 250 event.

But that is where De Minaur’s dream season began, reaching the semi-finals. Then it was his first tour-level championship-match appearance in Sydney. The #NextGenATP star had won just two tour-level matches before the year, but he’d earn 28 victories in 2018. And now, after qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, where he advanced to the final, the World No. 31 is hungry for more.

De Minaur spent a week in early December training under the tutelage of former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt and legendary coach Tony Roche — who has worked with Ivan Lendl, Patrick Rafter, Roger Federer and Hewitt — with other Australian players, including John Millman, Marc Polmans and Alex Bolt.

“There are a couple areas in his game he’s got to keep working on and obviously fitness-wise this has been a good year because the past two years he’s had to sort of set himself up for the Australian Open Wild Card Play-off [in early December],” Hewitt said. “You don’t have that many opportunities throughout a year to come together and do a training block and we see this as a massive opportunity to set the tone for the following year, for 2019, and hopefully the guys can see the intensity and the effort.”

De Minaur is known for his speed on the court. And while some players take time to build up their conditioning as they get used to the rigours of the ATP Tour, the Aussie has proven he is fit to compete with some of the best players in the world.

But that hasn’t stopped him from pushing to improve. More than 160,000 people have watched an Instagram video of De Minaur diving to the bottom of a pool, picking up a weight and swimming along the bottom of the pool with it all the way to the other side without taking a breath. It’s safe to say the 19-year-old has an impressive lung capacity.

And while it’s clear De Minaur is working hard, his brother, Dominic de Minaur, says that his sibling’s toughness on court is just part of who he is as a person.

“What you see is what you get with Alex. He’s an incredible young man, he tries his heart out and every time he goes out on the court I know that he’s going to leave it all out there,” De Minaur said. “The way he holds himself and the way he tries on the court, it’s just amazing to watch.”

De Minaur still has two more years as a #NextGenATP player. But he has already earned the respect of his fellow players. Twenty-nine-year-old compatriot Millman, who himself had a breakthrough year in 2018 — reaching a career-high World No. 33 in June — first met De Minaur two years ago during a Davis Cup tie, and he immediately took notice.

“He really impressed me back then. He was a little bit younger then, a little bit more raw. But the way he comes out on court, the enthusiasm he shows, the energy he brings, I think it’s really special. And what he did this year, I thought was incredible,” Millman said. “To come from in the 200s to sit at around 30 at his age, the sky’s the limit for him.”

Watch A Day In De Minaur’s Life:

Now, as the off-season winds down, De Minaur will return to where his breakthrough started, in Brisbane and then Sydney. But this time, all eyes will be on him.

“There’s a lot of media attention around him and playing in those Brisbane and Sydney events leading into the Australia Open, the biggest thing as it gets closer is he needs to embrace it,” Hewitt said. “He’s 19 years old. This is what you want to do. This is a great opportunity to play in some of the biggest events in your home country. He can be playing a lot of those matches on Centre Court with a full crowd behind him, and it’s about embracing it.”

De Minaur is not worried about the hype, and the pressure that comes with his 2018 breakthrough. The 19-year-old is simply focused on taking what he learned and applying it as best he can to continue his climb.

“I have a great team of guys around me that help keep me grounded and focused on the important things in life,” De Minaur said. “I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing.”

It’s no secret that the #NextGenATP Class of 2017 took the ATP Tour by storm in 2018. In fact, four players who competed at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan finished this season inside the Top 25 of the ATP Rankings.

Karen Khachanov (No. 11), Borna Coric (No. 12), Daniil Medvedev (No. 16) and Hyeon Chung (No. 25) climbed a combined 152 spots in the Rankings in 2018 and won a total of seven ATP Tour titles. So who might make a jump like that from the #NextGenATP Class of 2018?

Taylor Fritz (World No. 49)
Fritz cracked the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings for the first time this October, but he is not a new face in the tennis world. In February 2016, in just his third tour-level event, Fritz became the youngest American to reach a championship match on the ATP Tour since Michael Chang in 1988. John Isner was the quickest American to reach his maiden final, doing so at his second tour-level event, at Washington, D.C., in 2007.

While Fritz holds just a 1-7 record against opponents inside the world’s Top 10, the American has proven he is capable of competing against the very best in the sport. Fritz has not lost in straight sets against anyone inside the Top 10 in his past six clashes against the elite group, pushing Roger Federer to three sets on grass as an 18-year-old, and extending this year’s Nitto ATP Finals champion, Alexander Zverev, to five sets at Wimbledon just six months ago.

Andrey Rublev (World No. 68)
It’s been clear for the past two years that Rublev is one of the biggest hitters from the baseline on the ATP Tour. But there’s no reason to believe the 2017 Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag champion cannot continue improving.

Rublev climbed as high as No. 31 in the ATP Rankings earlier this year after reaching the final of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. But a lower back injury kept the Russian out for three months, and he was forced to spend the end of the year rounding back into form. Rublev found a good level again in November, finishing in third at the Next Gen ATP Finals. And now that he’s healthy, Rublev can ride that momentum into a strong 2019.

Jaume Munar (World No. 81)
The Spaniard, who is mentored by World No. 2 Rafael Nadal — training at his academy in Mallorca — began 2018 just inside the Top 200 of the ATP Rankings. But he took a major step forward this year, reaching the semi-finals at the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel and making the last four of the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

But perhaps the most revealing victory of his season was in the first round at Roland Garros, where Munar overcame a two-set deficit to beat his idol and clay-court legend David Ferrer. That win showed the world that Munar is not afraid of the big stage, and with plenty of experience gained this year — the 21-year-old earned 10 of his 11 tour-level match wins in 2018 — he can take another step forward in 2019.

Hubert Hurkacz (World No. 87)
The Polish No. 1 might not have been on many people’s radar when he began 2018 as the World No. 238. But Hurkacz had a breakthrough season, going 28-12 on the ATP Challenger Tour and winning his first two titles at that level. He also qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals, and earned seven of his eight tour-level wins this season.

For those who have not seen Hurkacz play, his game is reminiscent of a young Tomas Berdych. Hurkacz, like Berdych, is 6’5”; he gains control of points with his serve and has relatively flat groundstrokes from the baseline. As the Pole grows older and adds muscle, he will be able to dominate rallies against plenty of players on the ATP Tour.

Reilly Opelka (World No. 100)
Few #NextGenATP Class of 2018 graduates will carry as much momentum into 2019 as Opelka, who won back-to-back ATP Challenger Tour events in Knoxville, Tennessee and Champaign, Illinois to wrap up his 2018 season. Those victories helped the American crack the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time.

Opelka ranked second on the ATP Challenger Tour this year with a 75.6 winning percentage (34-11), reaching nine semi-finals at that level. Opelka also earned his first win against a Top 10 opponent, beating Jack Sock en route to the quarter-finals of the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com. The 2016 Atlanta semi-finalist will look to become a mainstay on the ATP Tour next year.

Catch up on the rest of ATPTour.com’s 2018 In Review series.

Rafael Nadal was born in Manacor, Mallorca, Spain, just 10 kilometres from Sant Llorenc, a town that suffered a tragedy on 9 October. Heavy rains during a flash flood led to 13 deaths and also caused serious structural damage in the area. Since then, Nadal has done everything he can to help. And he has decided to take it one step further.

World No. 2 Nadal will donate €1 million to help the victims affected by the floods, according to the Sant Llorenc town council.

“It is a big help from a very special person, someone who shows his love for our land and its neighbours every day,” said Mateu Puigròs, mayor of Sant Llorenç, in an open letter. “He shows his love for his homeland wherever he goes and he shows it in all aspects because he is one of us.”

The donation is the latest way Nadal has helped those affected. Nadal also went to the damaged area right after the tragedy to assist in the clean-up efforts in the neighborhood. He also made available the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar for those seeking shelter, and held a moment of silence with students and staff at his academy to honour those who passed away. 

“We know of his immense affection and humanity, which is as great as his talent and results. We have seen this on and off the court,” Puigros wrote in the open letter.

A few days ago, Nadal also announced that part of the proceeds gained from the Olazabal & Nadal Invitational — a charity golf tournament that he organised with José María Olazabal — will also benefit the same cause. In addition, next Saturday is the Rafa Nadal Sports Centre Urban Race, and all event proceeds will help those affected by the floods.

To learn more about Nadal’s charitable efforts, click here.

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPTour.com looks at the top five #NextGenATP moments from 2018.

5. Denis Shapovalov makes the Mutua Madrid Open semi-finals
By May, Canada’s top #NextGenATP star Denis Shapovalov was, without a doubt, a known commodity. In 2017, he became the youngest ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-finalist at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal, made the fourth round of the US Open and qualified for the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals.

And in 2018, his historic efforts didn’t slow down. In Madrid, Shapovalov, who had zero ATP World Tour clay-court wins before the tournament, beat countryman Milos Raonic and Brit Kyle Edmund, who had reached the Australian Open semi-finals months earlier.

Shapovalov, in reaching his second Masters 1000 semi-final, became the youngest semi-finalist in Mutua Madrid Open history. The 19-year-old left-hander finished 2018 by cutting his year-end ranking nearly in half, from No. 51 to No. 27.

Watch Hot Shot: Shapovalov Rips Backhand Winner Past Raonic In Madrid

4. Frances Tiafoe wins maiden tour-level title at the Delray Beach Open
Frances Tiafoe grew up idolising Juan Martin del Potro. The Argentine was the first player to sign a ball for Tiafoe when he was a boy attending the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.

But at the Delray Beach Open in February, Tiafoe blocked all of that aside and upset the second seed en route to the best week of his career. Tiafoe beat Aussie Matthew Ebden, Del Potro, 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Hyeon Chung, Shapovalov and Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk to win his maiden ATP World Tour title.

And to think, the American almost didn’t even have a spot at the ATP World Tour 250-level event. Tiafoe forgot to sign up by the entry deadline, but the tournament gave him a wild card, and both parties were pleased they did. Tiafoe went onto make his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals and finish at a personal year-end best No. 39 in the ATP Rankings.

Watch Highlights: Tiafoe Wins First Title In Delray Beach

3. Stefanos Tsitsipas wins the Next Gen ATP Finals on debut
At the start of the year, neither player was in the Top 90 of the ATP Rankings, hardly making them favourites to reach the title match of the Next Gen ATP Finals, where eight of the world’s best 21-and-under players finish their seasons in Milan. But Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and Aussie Alex de Minaur were two of the most improved players on tour in 2018, and they showed their elevated games all week at the Fiera Milano.

Read More: Tsitsipas Named Most Improved Player Of The Year

Tsitsipas and De Minaur both reached the final bidding for a perfect 5-0 week. But Tsitsipas, behind some of his best serving all season, overpowered the 19-year-old Aussie in the highly-pressurised environment 2-4, 4-1, 4-3(3), 4-3(3). Tsitsipas won 72 per cent of his service points (54/72), and outhit the scrappy De Minaur, who saved seven of eight break points.

On match point, Tsitsipas fell to the ground, his hands shielding his eyes. It was almost as if the 20-year-old couldn’t believe the transformation he’d undergone in the past 12 months. At the 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals, Tsitsipas, then No. 87, was an alternate in the eight-man field. But this year, he was the champion.

Watch Highlights: Tsitsipas Beats De Minaur For Milan Title

2. Alex de Minaur starts strong Down Under
You could not have blamed tennis fans, even those living in Australia, for thinking it might be a couple years before Alex de Minaur made his march to the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings. In January, the 18-year-old was ranked No. 208, and, although he won his first tour-level matches in Australia in 2017, he had experienced little success away from his home continent. 

But mentor and former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt kept telling De Minaur to believe in himself, that he had the game to compete with the best. De Minaur made Hewitt look like a smart man during all of 2018, and it started with his win over former World No. 3 Milos Raonic at the Brisbane International in January.

De Minaur had been 0-2 against Top 40 opponents, but he routed Raonic 6-4, 6-4 in front of thousands of proud Aussies for back-to-back tour-level wins (d. No. 44 Steve Johnson in first round).

De Minaur would go onto make the Brisbane International semi-finals and the Sydney International final (l. to Medvedev). By the end of 2018, he’d make the biggest jump in the Top 50, finishing the 2018 season at No. 31 and as the top-ranked Aussie. The Sydney native was also voted by his peers as the ATP Newcomer of the Year in the 2018 ATP World Tour Awards Presented By Moët & Chandon.

Watch Feature: Hewitt Belief In De Minaur Paying Off

1. Stefanos Tsitsipas makes history in Toronto
Greece’s #NextGenATP star Stefanos Tsitsipas had enjoyed big wins before the Rogers Cup in August, including when he made the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell final in April. But never before had the right-hander turned in such a week like he did at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Canada.

His best week started by beating No. 8 Dominic Thiem and was followed by his three-set win against Novak Djokovic, who was fresh off his fourth Wimbledon – and 13^th Grand Slam – title. Yet the Serbian was broken in the second game of the final set and never recovered, as Tsitsipas moved into his first Masters 1000 quarter-final.

Watch Highlights: Tsitsipas Surprises Djokovic With Dropper

The firsts would only keep coming. Next, Tsitsipas avenged his straight-sets loss to Alexander Zverev at the Citi Open only a week earlier by saving two match points and hitting 28 winners – 18 from his forehand – in their quarter-final. Zverev served for the match at 6-3, 5-3, but Tsitsipas broke and erased both match points in the tie-break and advanced 3-6, 7-6(11), 6-4.

In the semi-finals, Tsitsipas came back from a set down once more, beating Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(7) before falling to No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the final. Tsitsipas would finish the season No. 15 in the ATP Rankings and with the Nitto ATP Finals in mind as a 2019 goal.