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Katie Boulter could face off against her boyfriend Alex de Minaur in an awkward United Cup clash that may spell the “end of their relationship”. The love birds have been dating since 2021 and may face off against each other on court for the first time.
They may be picked to play against each other for their nations in the mixed doubles bracket of the United Cup tournament. De Minaur is captaining Australia, who have been drawn in a group against Boulter’s Great Britain in the 18-nation competition.
Former Australia Davis Cup captain Wally Masur is keen to see how the dynamic plays out and expects it to add some extra spice to a tournament that has served up plenty of drama over the years. “It could be the end of a beautiful relationship,” Masur joked at Monday’s draw. “It will be interesting how it plays out because Matty Ebden and Storm Hunter are there so we’ve got plenty of options for the mixed doubles.
“Alex might be in a situation where he plays three sets against Cam Norrie and maybe it’s not in his best interests to back up and play the mixed. But him playing Boulter would add a bit of spice.”
World No 13 De Minaur has enjoyed a fine year so far. At the 2023 National Bank Open, he reached his first Masters 1000 final and recorded a career-highest ranking of No 11 in the world at the start of the month.
He has credited much of his success to Boulter for providing him with a fresh perspective on the sport. “A big thing that I admire a lot about Katie is how she acts and how she gets herself up during matches,” he said last month. “Her philosophy is something that I envy in a way. She is very positive. She doesn’t take tennis matches for granted.
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“She doesn’t mind the results. She goes out there competing and enjoys herself. I’ve learned a lot from that. To be honest, I’m probably on the other spectrum. I live and die by the sword and matches do hurt me in ways.
“Over the years, I’ve learned that as much as it hurts in the moment, I can get off the court and the more I spend some time with Katie, we’re both able to kind of forget about it and move on. And it’s helped me a lot to not have to linger with some of these matches. I’ve been able to turn the page and move on and look forward to the next challenge.”
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