"He's got a great chance": Katie Boulter backs De Minaur’s Australian Open hopes

Former British No. 1 Katie Boulter spoke about her engagement to Alex de Minaur and hinted at their wedding plans. The tennis couple has been together for several years and got engaged at the end of 2024. For now, however, their focus remains on the Tour. The 29-year-old Brit said De Minaur has what it takes to make a strong run at the Australian Open.

Boulter is currently facing a challenging moment in her career after a sharp drop in the rankings—she is now world No. 113. She was set to play the Australian Open qualifying, but some last-minute withdrawals sent her straight into the main draw.

The Brit played her first tournament last week at the ASB Classic in Auckland, defeating Yuliia Starodubtseva in her debut but falling in the second round to first seed Elina Svitolina, the eventual champion of the event.

This is a very different reality compared to her fiancé De Minaur, currently world No. 6—his career-high ranking so far. In 2025, he recorded some of his best results, reaching the semifinals at the ATP Finals and Monte Carlo, winning the ATP 500 DC Open, and finishing as runner-up in Rotterdam.

De Minaur’s consistency has made him a regular in the top 10, and he now hopes to take the next step and become a Grand Slam contender, especially with the Australian Open just around the corner, where he will be Australia’s main hope for a homegrown title.

“He is amazing, he continues to impress me every day of my life,” Boulter told Daily Mail when asked about her boyfriend. “It's been almost six years now with him, and it's an inspiration to me as a player and a person that he's doing so well. I feel like he's playing better and better every time I see him.”

Boulter believes De Minaur has good chances at the Australian Open, taking advantage of playing at home and backed by his previous results, including a quarterfinal run in 2025, where he lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner. So far, De Minaur has reached six Grand Slam quarterfinals but has never made it to a semifinal.

“I'm very excited for him, and it's another opportunity for him to get out there and show what he can do,” added Boulter. “He was a quarterfinalist last year and he's got a great chance. He feels the love and support from Australia, and it definitely helps him.”

Boulter hopes to bounce back in her upcoming tournaments and has recently partnered with a new coach, Michael Joyce, who worked for six years with former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova, guiding her to US Open and Australian Open titles. Joyce has also coached Victoria Azarenka, Johanna Konta, and more recently Ashlyn Krueger, helping the American break into the top 30.

Boulter quickly recorded a win in Auckland under Joyce, despite being eliminated in the second round. She now faces a very different situation from a year ago, when she entered the Australian Open in 2025 as the 22nd seed and reached the second round. This time, she will need to surpass that result if she wants to return to the top 100 and avoid further ranking drops.