Alex de Minaur joins Katie Boulter in sad development for tennis glamour couple

Yahoo

12-03-2025

Alex de Minaur has joined fiancee Katie Boulter in making a premature exit from Indian Wells, continuing a worrying dip in form for the Aussie tennis star. Indian Wells presents a rare opportunity for de Minaur and Boulter to be in the same location while playing a tournament, as the ATP and WTA events are run concurrently.
It usually only occurs at the grand slams and some 1000-level events. De Minaur and Boulter would have been hoping to make a deep run together in the Californian desert, but both will walk away feeling disappointed.
Boulter lost in the second round to World No.7 Elena Rybakina after overcoming a foot injury that kept her out since the Australian Open. De Minaur fared better and made the fourth round, but the World No.10 suffered a shock loss to 25th-ranked Francisco Cerundolo on Wednesday night.
De Minaur was expected to beat his Argentinian opponent after seeing him off in four sets in their only other meeting at the Australian Open in January. But Cerundolo got the chocolates on Wednesday night in a 7-5 6-3 upset, meaning de Minaur has still never made the quarters at Indian Wells.
It continues a concerning dip in form for de Minaur, who has dropped down the rankings from No.6 to No.10 in recent weeks. He made the quarter-finals at the Australian Open for the first time in his career, before also making the final in Rotterdam where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.
But his form has declined in the last month. He sensationally decided against defending his title at the Mexican Open, which he won in both 2023 and 2024. Instead he headed to the Middle East for back-to-back events in Doha and Dubai, which presented the chance to gain more rankings points and a combined $10 million in prize money.
But the decision backfired spectacularly when he lost in the quarters in Doha and second round in Dubai, sparking a hit to his ranking. The decision to relinquish his title in Mexico could also have revolved around the fact Boulter was scheduled to play in Doha and Dubai around the same time, but that also backfired when his fiancee withdrew injured.
The situation might spark questions about how players in high-profile relationships are affected when playing tournaments together. Boulter has never made it past the third round at a grand slam, despite a meteoric rise up the rankings in the last two years. The British star is often spotted watching de Minaur's matches, even when she's supposed to be preparing for her own.
Speaking at the Australian Open, Aussie great Jelena Dokic pointed out de Minaur and Boulter as an example of a tennis couple having success at the same time. Dokic was responding to claims Stefanos Tsistipas was being negatively affected by his relationship with WTA star Paula Badosa.
"There's a few players that are in relationships on the tour and of course Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter have been together for quite a few years now, of course now engaged as well," Dokic said. "And how well has that worked out for their tennis, because you can support each other in different ways and go and practice together and watch each other. So no, I don't think that's the reason maybe why he's struggled on the court.
"I think their relationship (Tsitsipas and Badosa) has been really good so far, for over a year-and-a-half I think that they've been together, it seems to be working. I think for Stefanos it's more about having a fresh mind and fresh perspective, going on a tennis court. He really looks to me like he's got a bit of burnout."
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Despite Dokic's comments, there might be similar concerns with de Minaur and Boulter until they both have success at a tournament they're playing at the same time. They'll get more chances throughout 2025, with the Miami Open, French Open and Wimbledon just around the corner.