Alex de Minaur admits Katie Boulter ‘must be hating him’ after Australian Open gesture | Tennis | Sport
Alex de Minaur is through to the second week of his home Grand Slam tournament for the fifth consecutive year. The No. 6 seed beat Frances Tiafoe 6-3 6-4 7-5 in front of a packed Rod Laver Arena crowd during Friday’s night session. But the attention turned to one familiar far in the crowd, De Minaur’s fiancee, British No. 4 Katie Boulter.
The current world No. 113 was ousted in the first round here but stuck around to watch some of De Minaur’s matches before jetting home to the UK. Boulter was in the Aussie’s box for his big win on Friday, and the 26-year-old dedicated his victory to his loyal partner, writing ‘Katie’ with a heart on the camera lens in a heartwarming gesture.
De Minaur also discussed their upcoming nuptials during a hilarious on-court interview with Jim Courier. “Honestly, the fact that we’re both tennis players and we’ve both got quite a busy schedule, we are doing as much as we can together,” he told the Rod Laver Arena crowd.
“Yeah, I’ve been involved so far in some of the decisions – I’m sure when it comes to details of like napkins and flowers and decoration purposes – that’s not my forte, I’ll leave that to Katie.”
But the sixth seed in Melbourne later admitted that his fiancee “must be hating him” after watching his last few matches. Competing in a match is one thing, but sitting on the sidelines and watching a loved one on the court is another. Although Boulter’s presence has been helping the Aussie, he knows it’s also tough on her.
“Yeah, more than anything I’m probably thinking how much she must be hating me as she’s watching the match and going through all those tough moments,” De Minaur explained.
“I would say that the vast majority of my matches aren’t simple. There’s always twists and turns and nervy moments, so I’m sure she’s not enjoying every second of it, as she’s probably quite stressed out. But, of course, it’s incredible to have her in the stands supporting me. It does mean a lot and helps me out a lot, as well.”
De Minaur now faces tricky 10th seed Alexander Bublik as he bids to reach a second straight quarter-final here. But Boulter may not be back for his next match on Sunday, as the Brit explained that she wouldn’t be hanging around in Melbourne for too long.
“I’ve actually got my schedule in place already,” Boulter said after losing to No. 10 seed Belinda Bencic in the women’s singles draw on Tuesday. “As much as I would love to stay and support, I’ve got to look after myself and prioritise myself, as we always do. Obviously, if I can support him, I will. But, again, tennis is my priority.”
