Alex de Minaur's swipe at tennis girlfriend Katie Boulter lands him in hot water
The top-ranked Australian men's tennis player has warned he will expose his girlfriend's weaknesses if they face off in the United Cup.
Alex de Minaur has landed himself in hot water with his tennis girlfriend Katie Boulter after he claimed he would expose her weaknesses if they were to go head-to-head in mixed doubles at the United Cup. De Minaur and Australia's Cup campaign begins on Friday night with a match-up against Great Britain at Perth's RAC Arena.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that de Minaur's girlfriend, world No.56 Boulter, will line up for Great Britain. It is unlikely he will feature in the mixed doubles against his partner as Matt Ebden and Storm Hunter are expected to team up for Australia. But on the eve of the tournament, the Aussie said if he was called up to face-off against Boulter he would be attacking her weaknesses.
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"Well, you never know until you sign on the dotted line, come that mixed (doubles)," de Minaur said on Thursday. "I could be an option (for the doubles). I have played mixed in the past with Katie, so I know all her weaknesses!
"I've watched enough of her matches to know the spots to be attacking. If we step out on court, it's just all business."
John Millman chipped in following de Minaur's comments saying that he was a brave man. "My missus doesn't have any weaknesses," Millman quipped.
"That's pretty brave of you to say that (about Katie). You're in trouble. (You) might be sleeping on the pullout in my room tonight."
John Millman thrilled to be on the same team as Alex de Minaur
Millman said he is thrilled to be in the same team as de Minaur for what will be the 34-year-old's final summer of tennis before he retires. "Throughout my career I've seen him grow from being an Orange Boy to now being Australia's No.1 tennis player, really knocking on the door to that top 10," Millman said.
"He's been one of my closest mates. To do this dance one last time with him is going to be a lot of fun. I couldn't think of a better bunch of people to go out and represent the green and gold. It will be a lot of fun."
Alja Tomljanovic excited by Katie Boulter match-up
Alja Tomljanovic endured an injury-riddled 2023 and is keen to get back on the court. Tomljanovic holds a 1-0 advantage over Boulter after beating her 6-3 6-4 on grass in 2022 and is excited for the challenge.
"She's coming off of her best year. It's going to be a really tough match," Tomljanovic said. "She's got a big game. I'm just looking forward to getting out there and doing my best."
"It just makes me more excited to be back. I think the month of January is always the month I want to do my best. That's never changed. Having a bit of time off just makes me more motivated."
- with AAP
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