Alex de Minaur has found the best way to put a miserable Wimbledon singles exit behind him is by enjoying a winning mixed doubles debut with his British girlfriend Katie Boulter.
The couple, playing together as a doubles pairing for the first time, beat de Minaur’s Australian compatriots Storm Hunter and John Peers 6-2 6-4 late on Friday.
It at least brought a smile to the face of the national No.1 de Minaur, who had earlier in the day cut a dejected figure in a straight-sets loss to Italian Matteo Berrettini in the singles, while Boulter had tried to offer encouragement at courtside.
De Minaur had explained before the match: ‘I’ve been bugging her for a while to play.
‘We said we would give it a go at least one time. I’ve been prepping, playing a lot of doubles this grass court season, for this mixed.
‘She hasn’t on the other hand so she might be a little bit rusty, but I’m sure it’s gonna be a lot of fun.’
Asked who would take the lead on the court, de Minaur laughed: ‘We’re equals out there. Absolutely equals!’
De Minaur and Boulter are the glamour couple at Wimbledon and the Aussie teamed up with his British girlfriend in the mixed doubles
The Aussie nicknamed Demon whispers some strategy tips to his beaming girlfriend in their debut mixed doubles match
However Boulter also claims to have been the one to first suggest the ‘Boulternaur’ partnership, saying they had ‘nothing to lose’ by teaming up.
‘It’s something we’ve both wanted to do for quite some time. It’s not often that you get to have that experience together, especially at Wimbledon,’ she said.
‘It’s a totally different vibe going on court with him. I think we bring the best out of each other, in terms of tennis, on and off the court.’
The couple, who have been dating for three years, have suddenly come during Wimbledon a staple diet in the UK press as the new tennis ‘It’ couple, even featuring in an article in Britain’s high-society Tatler magazine.
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Boulter’s success as the new British No.1 in place of the injured Emma Raducanu has hugely enhanced her profile, and de Minaur is expected to be on Centre Court on Saturday cheering her on as she aims to defeat defending champion Elena Rybakina.
‘Since the moment I met her I knew she had it in her,’ de Minaur said, talking up her chances.
‘I’ve always thought she’s such a high-quality player, and it’s been amazing and great to see how she’s developed.
‘The way she’s been handling the spotlight, the pressures, it’s been pretty astounding to me. You know, now it’s probably my turn to start learning from her. I genuinely think that it’s only the beginning for her.’
De Minaur was all smiles after earlier being despondent from being smashed in his singles clash at Wimbledon
Team ‘Boulternaur’ will be hoping to go deep into the mixed doubles draw at the All England Club
The mixed doubles match with his real-life partner was the ideal way for de Minaur to bounce back from his singles defeat that left him crushed.
‘This one will obviously sit with me for a while. Yeah, I’m not happy at all. It’s a pretty bad situation to be in,’ sighed de Minaur, who was a picture of misery after his 6-3 6-3 6-4 caning in just over two one-sided hours.
‘I’ll try not to dwell on it, but it won’t be easy.
‘I would have liked to have gone a bit further here. I thought this was a great opportunity for me,’ added de Minaur, who was just coming off his best grass-court achievement, reaching the final at the Queen’s Club Championship where he lost to world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz.
‘I was playing great on this surface. I just came up against a tough opponent on the day.’
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