Alex de Minaur admits he is jealous of one key aspect of girlfriend Katie Boulter’s game
Alex de Minaur has revealed he wishes he had the firepower on court to match his girlfriend Katie Boulter.
While Boulter suffered a first round defeat at the WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells, she is enjoying the best year of her career after winning her first WTA 500 title in San Diego earlier this month.
Now world No 10 De Minaur has suggested Boulter possesses weapons on court that give her a chance to reach for the stars.
“When I’m watching her play… I get a little bit jealous if I’m honest because I see her just smacking winners left and right,” De Minaur told Tennis Channel.
“I’m like, jeez, I wish I had that sort of firepower in my game. I see her play the game and it just looks so easy. And I’m out here just running side to side, grinding for every point, having to work. She just goes out there, slaps a couple of winners and plays great tennis.”
He also suggested their shared passion for tennis is driving their love story as he added: “I think it’s been instrumental to both of our success,” he said of their relationship.
“You’ve got a partner that knows exactly what you’re feeling in every moment, whether you’re winning, whether you’re losing, the highs and lows. We both can be there for each other no matter what. Being in that same workplace, we know what each other needs.
“She’s helped me a lot in dealing with results and accepting results. In the past, I’ve been quite harsh on myself for not getting the results I wanted.
“She’s helped me a lot in having that perspective and trusting the process and trusting all the work that you put in behind the scenes and just enjoying it more out there, regardless of the results.”
READ MORE: Caroline Wozniacki set for sensational rankings rise after Indian Wells wins
The British number one defeated five top-40 players to win the San Diego Open, bringing her a first WTA 500 trophy and elevating her ranking to 27.
With Cameron Norrie slipping to 28, it means Boulter is the highest-ranked British singles player of either gender entered into this year’s BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
The same week a year ago, Boulter was ranked outside the world’s top 150, and she does not have many points to defend until the grass-court tournament in Nottingham in June, where last year she picked up her first WTA title.
“I feel like I’ve started the year very well and I’ve given myself the best opportunity to set myself up for the rest of the year,” said 27-year-old Boulter.
“I’ve got a free swing, I don’t really have too much pressure. I’m just here enjoying myself and working as hard as I possibly can with a great team. You never know what could happen so I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”
While the two titles both earned their recipients 500 ranking points, De Minaur took home around £325,000 and Boulter just £112,000, highlighting the continuing disparity between the ATP and WTA Tour away from the biggest joint events.
Boulter has mixed feelings, saying: “I’m obviously very happy with my first WTA 500 title, not too many players can say that they’ve won a 500 so I feel very special.
“Regarding the prize money, I feel like there’s a lot of equality in our sport in the biggest events. I really hope that the WTA can continue to help bridge the gap between the other events.”
