Exclusive: Alex de Minaur is Ralph Lauren’s newest ambassador
The Australian star talks Ralph Lauren, working with Wilson and learning to manage the pressure he puts on himself.
Alex de Minaur has long gravitated toward a classic uniform off court, so when Ralph Lauren came calling, he was already dressing the part.
“It’s very much in style with the clothes I normally wear,” de Minaur told Hard Court in Washington, D.C. last month. “I like to always be more on the smart side of clothing whenever I go to dinner. Classic, elegant, never-go-out-of-fashion style.”
Now, de Minaur is officially joining Ralph Lauren as a brand ambassador, a logical next step in the American brand’s longstanding relationship with tennis—and one it’s somewhat surprising it didn’t take sooner.
For more than two decades, Ralph Lauren has been one of tennis’s most visible fashion partners while largely staying out of the player endorsement business. The brand has served as the official outfitter of the US Open since 2005 and Wimbledon since 2006, designing uniforms for officials and ball crews alongside tournament-specific collections that have made the Polo pony a familiar sight at two of tennis’s biggest events. Ralph Lauren added the Australian Open to that portfolio in 2021, a partnership that will end after this year as BOSS takes over as the tournament’s official lifestyle outfitter in 2027.
There is one little-known exception. When Ralph Lauren first signed its US Open deal in 2005, it also signed then-19-year-old American prospect Scott Oudsema to represent its tennis brand on court and in an advertising campaign. Oudsema, who peaked at No. 145 in the world, never became a fixture at the top of the sport, and Ralph Lauren has largely avoided individual player endorsements in the two decades since.
De Minaur therefore represents a considerably bigger bet on tying the brand to an individual tennis star. That the player Ralph Lauren chose to make that bet on is Australian is a small irony for a brand synonymous with American style.
Keep reading for more details on de Minaur’s Ralph Lauren deal—including whether we could eventually see it on court—plus his thoughts on working with Wilson and managing the pressure he puts on himself.
