As the tennis world gathered on the central court of Wimbledon on Sunday afternoon for the final of the grass-court majors as Jannik Sinner chased back-to-back titles, the sport’s “power couple” – Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter – kept everyone on the hop with a simultaneous hit.
De Minaur and Boulter against the world media? The two stars beat them in straight sets, to be exact – 6-0, 6-0.
De Minaur – who rose to a career-high No. 5 in the world rankings after his efforts at Wimbledon – and British world No.67 Boulter, have always done things their own way, happily making knowledge of their relationship freely available, but at the same time keeping some important details close to their chests.
De Minaur, 27 years old, gave up at the All-England Club just a few days ago, when he reached an agreement with the departure of the main tennis player in the quarter-finals.
“It breaks my heart. That’s the truth of it. Many, many hours are put into my craft, and many years to have a moment like this. Not moving forward is very painful,” an emotional de Minaur said in London, appearing to fight back tears.
But the Australian’s loss to Flavio Cobolli, runner-up at Roland Garros a few weeks ago, in the round of 16 in London at least gave him a chance to cement his wedding plans with Boulter, who himself went out of Wimbledon in the first round.
Pictures emerged of the lovely couple leaving church in Old Woodhouse, Leicestershire, near the village of Woodhouse Eaves where 29-year-old Boulter grew up.
Details of the ceremony were scarce, and few media outlets had information about exactly where or when it would take place. For the sake of Daily Mailit was quite the story.
“Locals were forbidden to take any pictures,” the tabloid publication reported as news broke on Monday (AEST). “Their wedding was described as ‘deliberately low-key’ and ‘private’ by a source, with only family members in attendance, and was followed by a celebration in a nearby bar – a world away from the public and media glare of the world’s most prestigious tennis championship.”
De Minaur and Boulter announced their engagement in December 2024. But finding time in the busy tennis calendar – one of the busiest sports in the world – to complete their wedding was not that easy.
Tennis players aren’t the only ones who spend their time after Wimbledon playing a love match. Daria Kasatkina, a former Russian who now plays for Australia, will marry her lover, scout athlete Natalia Zabiiako, in Greece soon.
“We will have about 40 people at the wedding in Athens, we have been working on this for a year. I hope the guests will like it; a few of them who play here will come later.” The WTA250 event takes place in the Greek capital between July 13 and 19.
De Minaur and Boulter have been a couple for at least five years and, as they explained to this masthead in “Two of Us” interview two years agoit was almost an attraction at first sight.
“I knew Alex to pray because we had mutual friends: he had a reputation as a good and humble man,” Boulter explained.
“Then one day, when we were staying at the same hotel, we bumped into each other at six in the morning and ended up getting coffee. From then on, I knew I was in for the long haul.”
De Minaur explained how the COVID-19, which greatly affected the way tennis players lived their lives, played a role in bringing them together.
“Every time I saw Katie, she was smiling, happy, always in a good mood; that’s what made me think she would be approachable,” de Minaur said.
“Our relationship started at the beginning of COVID. I was in Spain under house arrest and he was in England, so we had months to talk on FaceTime. I think I realized that this was something special when I found myself wanting to talk to him all the time. His friendship was something I had been looking for: it gave me a sense of peace.
“I love Katie’s outlook on life, the way she does every day – always with a smile, always making the best of things. She’s just a joy to be around.”
The pair kept details of their wedding a closely guarded secret, and neither Tennis Australia nor people close to de Minaur would confirm their marriage or discuss the ceremony when contacted on Monday. However, de Minaur at least made a point of planning ahead when he was beaten by Jim Courier at this year’s Australian Open.
After his third-round victory at Rod Laver Arena, Courier asked de Minaur how he was getting along with the wedding plans. Boulter, sitting in the stands, could only laugh as de Minaur was forced to respond.
“Do you doubt me, Jim?” The Australian said, dancing to the crowd.
“No, this is a 50-50 relationship! I have been involved so far with some of the decisions.
“When it comes to the details of napkins and flowers, that’s not my forte, so I’ll leave that to Katie.”
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of games sent every Monday. Subscribe to our Sports newsletter.
