Alex de Minaur joins Katie Boulter in sad development for tennis glamour couple
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.
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So a U.S. Open at Oakmont — fun, he calls it — might be a good measure of where he is. Most of the 156 players, and even a few alternates, made their way out to the course on a relatively dry day that should stay that way at least until the weekend. Justin Thomas was among those who came to Oakmont a few weeks ago to get in some serious study, knowing practice rounds can be the biggest grind because they take so long. Everyone is trying to figure out what to do from the rough, where to miss, how to avoid mistakes. Dustin Johnson played nine holes, his first time back at Oakmont since he won his first major nine years ago . He played the final seven holes not knowing if the USGA was going to penalize him for his golf ball moving on the fifth green. That's some serious mental toughness. There have been a few changes, including even fewer trees. 'The course is just as hard as I remember, if not harder,' Johnson said. The USGA likes to test every part of the game, and that includes the mental side of it. Jack Nicklaus, a four-time U.S. Open champion, said he used to listen to players complain in the days leading up to the Open and figure he could rule them out. 'I hope it psyches a lot of players out,' Thomas said. 'I understand this place is hard. I don't need to read articles, or I don't need to hear horror stories. I've played it. I know it's difficult. I also have faith that if I go play well and I'm driving the ball well and I'm hitting my irons like I know I can, I'm going to have a lot of birdie opportunities.' Thomas also mentioned the need to have a good attitude. The definition is different for each player. For him, it's being committed over every shot on every hole and accepting the outcome. 'I think once I start second-guessing myself or not trusting my instincts is kind of where I get myself in trouble,' Thomas said. 'Then when I do that, I naturally am pretty pissed off if it doesn't work out. It wasn't because of the shot, it was more from the lack of commitment. That's where it starts for me generally.' With Schauffele, it can be hard to tell when he loses his cool. And he's not a big believer that anyone throwing a club is costing himself shots. Tiger Woods, who won the U.S. Open three times, was among the best at putting any anger behind him before he settled over his next shot. 'I think I look pretty level-headed when I play, but internally I might be absolutely just thrashing myself,' Schauffele said. 'I think truly having a good attitude is just sort of accepting what happened and allowing yourself to be pretty much at zero to hit the next shot.' It's not just the U.S. Open where Schauffele has shown remarkable consistency. He rallied down the stretch at Quail Hollow to make the cut, and his cut streak is at 65 tournaments going into Oakmont. That's the longest streak since Woods made 142 cuts in a row that ended in 2005. He has game, clearly. And he has the right head for the U.S. Open. 'Part of my attitude thing is we're all playing the same course, and it's going to be hard,' he said. 'You may think something's unfair, but it doesn't really matter at the end of the day. Whoever can deal with it the best is going to play well. That's the attitude I've had — look at it as a fun challenge versus feeling like you're living in a nightmare.' ___ AP golf:
