Alex de Minaur gave a sweet nod to Katie Boulter after winning at the Australian Open (Image: Eurosport)
gave a cute nod to his fiance, Katie Boulter, after reaching his first quarter-final.
The world No. 8 downed rising star Alex Michelsen 6-0 7-6(5) 6-3 on Monday to break new ground at his home Grand Slam tournament.
It comes weeks after De Minaur and Boulter announced their engagement. And the Aussie was asked whether his proposal had anything to do with his great run Down Under.
De Minaur had reached the last eight at all of the other Grand Slam tournaments – the French Open, and US Open – but he never got the job done on home soil.
After suffering a heartbreaking five-set loss in the fourth round last year, De Minaur finally broke his duck and made it to the quarters in Melbourne Park.
Aged just 25, it’s been a long time coming for the Aussie, who made his tournament debut in 2017 as a wildcard. And Jim Courier had an unusual theory for his success.
“You’ve been coming here for a while, you’re a young man but this is your ninth time playing here at the ,” the player-turned-pundit said during De Minaur’s on-court interview.
Alex de Minaur broke new ground at his home tournament (Image: Getty)
Just in
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
“First time in the quarter-finals and I’m just wondering, you just got engaged, is that a coincidence that it’s all happening now?”
The No. 8 seed had his own theory. “I don’t believe in coincidences! I think when you’re happy off the court you play some good tennis on the court,” he smiled, still giving Boulter some of the credit for his winning run.
De Minaur has already had the home crowd firmly on his side this fortnight. But his sweet answer won them over even more as the fans on Rod Laver Arena were wooed by his comments.
Courier also wanted to give a nod to British No. 1 Boulter, adding: “We’ll give Katie some of the credit, she deserves that for sure. She’s a heck of a player herself.”
De Minaur proposed to Boulter during the off-season and the pair took to to announce the news in December, sharing a smiling selfie which showed Boulter draping her arm around her beau and showing off her new ring.
The couple have been dating for almost five years and are now set to tie the knot. And their upcoming nuptials have also been motivating De Minaur in another way.
The Australian spoke to Laura Robson – one of Boulter’s good friends – for Eurosport, where she brought up another incentive. “You’ve just got to tell yourself, more wins, more prize money, more wedding budget,” she joked.
De Minaur replied: “Exactly! That’s honestly, when I’m out there on court and you see me so stressed out, I’m just thinking about the wedding budget and that’s why I’m like, ‘I need to win more money, I need to win more matches’. That’s what goes through my head so now you know.”