An ACE couple! How Britain’s Katie Boulter and her Aussie boyfriend Alex de Minaur paired up on and off court to become Wimbledon’s hottest mixed doubles team (and they’re starting their campaign today!)
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Not only are they masters of the court, they also make an ace couple: this year, Wimbledon hopeful Katie Boulter and her Aussie boyfriend are taking the tournament by storm.
The 26-year-old Brit number one and Alex de Minaur, the world’s 17th-ranked men’s player, are teaming up this afternoon to take on John Peers and Storm Hunter in the first round of the mixed doubles at the All England Club in SW19.
But before they team up, Alex has an individual hurdle to overcome – as he takes on Italian former Wimbledon runner up Matteo Berrettini in the men’s third round singles.
And tomorrow, Katie will also be taking on women’s reigning champion at Wimbledon, Elena Rybakina in the third round.
Both Katie and Alex, who have been dating since 2021, have reasonably strong chances to go deep into the competition and will be relying on each other to help maintain focus and discipline in what is one of the tennis calendars most glamorous events.
Katie Boulter (right) and Alex de Minaur are the couple that everyone wants to see more of at Wimbledon
The couple have been officially dating since 2021, and have rented a home near Wimbledon for the duration of the tournament
Boulter is heading into her first Grand Slam tournament as British No 1 after rising up the rankings
The power couple are renting a house a stone’s throw from the All England Club with both families and Boulter says the familiarity and relaxing time helps her preparation.
British rising star Katie confirmed she was dating the top-ranked Australian tennis star early in 2021.
On International Women’s Day, Alex made it official with a gushing Instagram post, alongside a photo of the pair sharing a warm embrace.
‘Happy International Women’s Day! Specially to this one, I don’t mind you,’ he wrote.
Boulter commented ‘Guess you’re OK too’ with a love heart and kissing emoji.
Meanwhile the couple regularly share snaps from luxurious trips away and holidays together online.
The couple, who have been dating since 2021, are currently renting a property a stone’s throw from the All England Club
Before Alex (pictured) takes to the court with his girlfriend this afternoon, he will face Matteo Berrettini
Last year, Katie shared a post of the pair looking loved up as they attended Wimbledon, writing: ‘Favourite person. Favourite club.’
Her Wimbledon run this year has been somewhat overshadowed by a Just Stop Oil protester who took to the court with orange confetti’s and a jigsaw puzzle this week as she faced off against Australia’s Daria Saville.
But it didn’t stop her from exiting the match with another victory under her belt, which she no doubt celebrated at home with her Aussie beau.
The pair are renting a house near the club, which has strengthened their ties in the run up to the competition.
‘We all get to spend a whole lot of time together,’ she said recently. ‘I have the option of popping out when I want to – I know where the closest coffee shop is, where the stringers are – so this is a place I can call home.’
That familiarity and understanding of a fellow elite player in De Minaur will no doubt help Boulter deal with the inevitable ratcheting up of attention that will be on her over the coming fortnight.
The spotlight has been shining ever brighter given her scintillating form and emergence as a sponsor’s dream.
She has deals with Nike, Wilson and Jaguar, appeared on the front cover of Tatler and had an photoshoot in Vogue, but she says she has not been paying attention to the added fame she has received in the last 12 months.
A blossoming romance in the midst of fierce competition is as compelling a fairytale as any for this year’s edition of the Grand Slam.
The British ace has gained plenty of attention – and sponsors – over the past year but is focusing on her tennis
As they both prepare to face off at Wimbledon tomorrow, British No.1 Katie Boulder and her boyfriend Alex de Minaur can count on each other’s support
Katie Boulter’s Grand Slam tournament as British No 1 is underway as she prepares to face off in the third round
The British hopeful is living in a house with De Minaur and their respective families during Wimbledon
There have been famous relationships in tennis before and still are, most notably Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi who have been married since 2001, but Boulter and De Minaur are the sport’s new ‘IT’ couple and there has been plenty of interest in them since they began dating two years ago.
They’ve been navigating the added scrutiny with ease and Boulter insists she prefers not to pay attention to what’s written.
‘I haven’t seen any of the newspapers,’ she laughed when asked about now being in the eye of the general public and not just tennis fans.
‘But I am here feeling very privileged. I have to get a job done and keep grounded. I need to work as much as possible to keep as ready as ever.
‘I wouldn’t say anything has changed (since being No 1). I love to have that feeling when the crowd is roaring and I appreciate it more than anything else on this planet, hopefully I can use that.
‘I have an incredible team, boyfriend and friends around me who are super level headed and keep me grounded.’
Both Boulter and De Minaur regularly watch the other compete and don’t try to remain in the background when cheering on from the grandstands at tournaments.
De Minaur made headlines for his heart-warming demonstration of support for his partner at Wimbledon last year during her second-round victory over previous finalist Karolina Pliskova.
Buzzing in the aftermath of his own win over British hopeful Jack Draper, the 24-year-old heartthrob used a post-match interview to praise his girlfriend on live television.
‘Before we talk about my match, can we just talk about Katie Boulter today? I mean, she had a pretty good win herself,’ he told the BBC.
And Boulter caught the hearts of the nation at SW19 last year when she broke down in tears after her debut Centre Court victory, revealing her grandmother had died just two days previously.
The strength of her relationship with De Minaur and the support from family helped her come through the ordeal to produce a stunning career display at Wimbledon.
Speaking afterwards she said: ‘I’ve got absolutely no words right now. The crowd was unbelievable, thank you so much for getting me through that.
‘I’m going to get emotional. My gran passed away two days ago so I’d just like to dedicate that to her today.
Boulter later praised her boyfriend’s unconditional encouragement in an interview with Tatler, explaining: ‘I couldn’t ask for any better, he’s the best support I’ve got.’
Boulter was the cover star of Tatler magazine, along with Jack Draper (left) and Cam Norrie (right)
It’s evident that both consider the other part of their team, not just a separate identity that they can return home to in the evening, and why wouldn’t that be the case given the tennis knowledge and ambitions that both possess.
Both have enjoyed strong warm-up outings in the build-up to the main grass court event of the season.
Boulter won her first WTA event at the Nottingham Open in June, beating fellow British hopeful Jodie Burrage before making the round of 32 at the Birmingham Classic and the Eastbourne International.
While, De Minaur made it to the final at Queen’s where he was eventually beaten in straight sets by men’s rising star Carlos Alcaraz.
But amidst the seriousness of maintaining a relationship that largely places such extensive geographical demands on both as they compete at international tournaments around the world, there is also a playful light-heartedness that shows they don’t take things too seriously.
When Boulter beat Burrage last month, De Minaur jokingly responded to a photograph of his girlfriend holding her trophy on Instagram, posting: ‘Not too sure what’s more impressive the title or the biceps’.
Meanwhile it emerged yesterday that Katie and Alex will even team up together on the court – playing in the mixed doubles pairings.
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