Katie Boulter goes public with change as de Minaur boosted by 'horrible' Djokovic blow

Yahoo

09-04-2025

Katie Boulter has claimed she is ready for only her second clay court campaign after recovering from a tough injury setback as Alex de Minaur received a boost in Monte Carlo following Novak Djokovic's defeat. Boulter has only played two tournaments since her exit at the Australian Open with appearances at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
Boulter did not excel at either event having confirmed an injury has hampered her performances since Australia. Boulter has only won two singles matches in 2025, but didn't want to sit out the two tournaments in the US last month in order to maintain match fitness.
And this was to make sure she entered the Bille Jean King Cup tie against the Netherlands with some momentum as she tries to put aside a troubling injury. 'Having an injury it's always going to be brutal coming back,' she told the LTA.
'It's been tough and it's an injury I've managed over the last few weeks. Coming back at Indian Wells and Miami I could have taken a bit more time but I didn't want to, I wanted to go and play and keep some of the momentum going from Australia, where I thought I was playing some of my best tennis."
Boulter is taking confidence away from last year's tie where Great Britain defeated France on clay. The British No.1 hasn't always enjoyed her best performances on clay and hadn't played an official WTA event on the surface as a result.
But the 28-year-old admits the team are well prepared for the upcoming clash. "I'd actually never played a WTA clay court match before that tie," she said of last year's result against France.
'I felt a little underprepared for that but getting the win was a big moment because it showed me what I could do on the clay and it gave me belief going into the swing that I could pick up more results. It was great all week – we had a lot of momentum from there and took that into the Finals. What a great achievement to beat France away on clay but it shows anything is possible in this tournament.'
While Boulter will be back in action, her partner de Minaur is preparing for a blockbuster showdown with Daniil Medvedev at the Monte Carlo Open. And his chances of a late surge into the tournament has been given a boost after Djokovic's shock result.
De Minaur now has a huge chance to close the gap on Djokovic and those above him in the world rankings after the Serbian was knocked out of the Monte Carlo Open. Making his return to clay, Djokovic lost his first match having gone down in straight sets to Alejandro Tabilo in the round of 32.
The No.3 seed was left shocked at his level and felt he performed well below-par after his Miami Open run the final. "I expected myself at least to have put in a decent performance. Not like this. It was horrible," he said after the loss.
"I did not have high expectations. I knew I'm going to have a tough opponent and I knew I'm going to probably play pretty bad. But this bad, I didn't expect." While Djokovic was frustrated, he admitted it hasn't shifted his focus one bit with his sole goal to be at his peak for Roland Garros.
Alex de Minaur beats Tomas Machac 3-6 6-0 6-3 in Monte CarloAlex is into the Monte Carlo R16 for the 2nd time.One of the most improved players over the last few seasons.. and he's also been making some strides on this surface.✅1st clay court win of 2025🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/8OKKE7z9DN
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 9, 2025
While it was a blow for Djokovic as he looks to defend plenty of points heading into the French Open, it's a boost for de Minaur. The Aussie set-up a clash with Daniil Medvedev in the round of 16, after the Russian overcame Alexandre Muller in three-sets. Medvedev has never hid his frustration about clay and de Minaur is ever improving on the surface.
The Aussie hasn't played Medvedev since his defeat in last year's ATP Finals, but earned a victory over the Russian at Roland Garros last year. This is a huge opportunity for de Minaur to repeat the result against the No.9 seed and overtake him in the world rankings.
While de Minaur was scheduled to face Djokovic in the quarter-final, his draw becomes slightly easier if he manages to advance after the Serbian's exit. De Minaur has slipped back to World No.10 after some tough results in recent week at Indian Wells and in Miami.