ATP Tour

De Minaur on matching Boulter at Queen’s Club: ‘I’ll never hear the end of it’

Sometimes all it takes is a little friendly rivalry. For Alex de Minaur and his fiancée Katie Boulter, that competitive spark is providing plenty of motivation during a memorable grass-court swing.

Last week, Boulter surged to the semi-finals of the WTA event at Queen’s Club, while De Minaur was busy reaching the title match at the ATP 250 in ’s-Hertogenbosch. According to the Australian, their parallel success only pushes each of them to raise the bar.

“It's amazing,” De Minaur told ATPTour.com at the HSBC Championships, where he is into the quarter-finals. “I think it brings out the best in each other. We have a little bit of that competitive nature in us where we both want to do better than each other, and it just brings out a healthy competition.”

That dynamic has followed De Minaur to the grass-court ATP 500 this week in west London, where the top seed is attempting to replicate Boulter’s exploits on the same courts at Queen’s Club. Boulter captivated her home fans with a standout run that featured the biggest victory of her career against WTA World No. 2 Elena Rybakina, and now De Minaur is eager to respond with his own push in the British capital.

“It’s the same way that now that I'm playing here at Queen's, I've got to do my best to try and at least match her performance,” De Minaur, the No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, added. “Because if not, I'll never hear the end of it. So that's my drive and motivation. Let's say that.”

Although De Minaur jokes about the competitive edge that exists between the pair, their support for one another has been equally important. In 2024, less than 12 hours after successfully defending his Acapulco crown, the Australian had flown to San Diego to watch Boulter capture the biggest title of her career.

Now, attention turns back to De Minaur, who is looking to continue his outstanding record both on grass and at ATP 500 events. The top seed takes on Brandon Nakashima in Friday’s quarter-final at Queen’s Club, with their Lexus ATP Head2Head series tied at 1-1.

De Minaur, chasing his 12th ATP Tour title and third on grass, boasts a Tour-leading 59 wins at ATP 500 level since the start of the 2023 season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.