Alongside the many treasured traditions at the All England Club, there are some that resonate from afar.

For many Australian sports lovers, taking in The Championships late at night during the southern winter is a cherished annual ritual. It has provided inspiration for some rising players with stunning effect.

Alex de Minaur is among the competitors whose first experience of Wimbledon was watching it on television. And while the Sydney-born 24-year-old was still a toddler when Lleyton Hewitt claimed the 2002 gentlemen’s singles title, De Minaur has long understood the significance of emulating his compatriot.

"I have heard a lot about the year he won it," De Minaur has said of his mentor, and Hewitt’s influence undeniably helped.

"Lleyton's been a huge help," De Minaur said. "He's been someone I have looked up to as well, as I'm sure a whole generation of Aussies (have done).

"Just to have him as my Davis Cup coach, mentoring me, helping me out whenever, coming out to these matches, is just a special feeling."

There was another special feeling as De Minaur replicated Hewitt's grass court accomplishments in reaching the final at Queen's last week - the first Australian to contest the title match since Hewitt triumphed there for a fourth time in 2006.

"I have been fortunate enough to hit with him on the grass. It was a nightmare, an absolute nightmare," De Minaur said with a smile. "This is (when he was) way past his prime so I can only imagine how he made his opponents feel whenever he stepped on a grass court."

While De Minaur finished runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at the tournament, he can reasonably expect to evoke those same fears on grass.

His victory at Eastbourne in 2021 is among his seven professional titles, and he came within a whisker of a Wimbledon quarter-final appearance last year, losing in five sets to Cristian Garin.

"I think any time I step out on a grass court I'm very confident. It's a part of the year that I really enjoy," he said at Queen's, where he beat two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and claimed a semi-final win over world No.6 Holger Rune.

"It suits my game really well. I can, as I have shown this week, make a lot of my opponents find their weaknesses and exploit them."

With a fierce determination among his on-court weapons, the six-foot (1.83m) De Minaur, seeded No.15 at The Championships, thrills many supporters – and equally frustrates opponents – with his lightning speed. It's a quality he has worked hard to perfect.

"I'm probably not the biggest guy, strongest guy. I had to work different areas of my game to be competitive.

“Footwork and speed and trying to get out of different positions around the court was always something I've worked really hard on," he said at the 2022 Championships.

"I reckon I'm what you would call 'tennis fast'. I'm probably good around the corners, good at getting out of tough positions, good reading the play. I don't know about (a) 100-metre sprint."

As the No.1 Australian player, De Minaur is proud to lead his nation's charge. Last year, De Minaur's close friend Jason Kubler reached the final 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time, and, in an electrifying performance, Nick Kyrgios contested his first final, finishing runner-up to Novak Djokovic.

"All of us Aussies, we're a tight-knit group and we've got a lot of chemistry and we're pushing each other to get bigger and better things," De Minaur said.

"We were able to make the Davis Cup final last year and get very, very close to taking it all the way. That was just a testament to what us Aussies can do when we stick together, and we play with passion and pride.

"Come Wimbledon, I'm sure, well, I'm hoping that all of us Aussies can go out there and play the sort of tennis that we know we can play."