"A great competitive spirit": Alex de Minaur puts aside British ties for Davis Cup battle

Australian tennis star Alex De Minaur intends on leading his home nation to victory over Great Britain at the ongoing Davis Cup, but will have to look past his relationship with British tennis player Katie Boulter in order to achieve this feat.

De Minaur and Boulter have been in a relationship since early 2021, with the Aussie maintaining a strong relationship with Britain via his girlfriend. However, the two nations will clash this week at the Davis Cup, with De Minaur's national pride at stake.

"There's years and years of history of rivalry between the two nations," said the 24-year old in an interview with the PA news agency. "With Katie, I've got to spend a little bit more time here in the UK and I've been able to get to know a couple of the Brits a little bit better. We always give each other a little bit of crap if our nation wins. It's always a great competitive spirit between us.

"Katie's shown me around. I've found a lot of spots that I quite enjoy so it's been great, especially when the weather's good. There's a lot of similarities with Australia.

"A big thing for me is coffee. They love their coffee here as well, the breakfast places are kind of the same vibe. And one thing that I didn't have growing up in Australia or Spain is the countryside. I've grown really fond of the greenery."

De Minaur is the highest-ranked player in the encounter, which will be taking place in Manchester, England. The World No.12 could end up facing British No.1 Cameron Norrie, in what will likely be crucial in determining the winner of the victor.