Katie Boulter responds after detail in Alex de Minaur photo sparks tennis fan frenzy
Tennis fans were convinced they'd uncovered a huge secret.
Tennis power couple Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter got fans' tongues wagging after the English tennis star posted a photo marking the pair's four-year anniversary with a ring on her ring finger. But Boulter quickly shut down any proposal thoughts, telling fans to "calm down" as she's "not engaged".
The couple have been on fire in 2024, with de Minaur cracking the ATP top 10 and Boulter pushing into the WTA top 30. Earlier this month they both won titles within a matter of hours of each other, joining the likes of former couples Lleyton Hewitt and Kim Clijsters (2003) and Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert (1974) in lifting trophies on the same weekend.
Their relationship has never been a closely guarded secret but it gained worldwide attention when they teamed up for the mixed doubles event at Wimbledon last year. Earlier this week, Boulter revealed that playing alongside her boyfriend was the most fun she has ever had on the tennis court.
With many fans already anticipating the Aussie tennis star popping the question sometime soon it is understandable that a social media post of Boulter with a ring on her left ringer accompanied by the caption: "Four years with you" would send fans into mania. Expecting such a reaction in brackets Boulter wrote: "Calm down not engaged (laughs). Just the only finger that ring fits."
But the caption didn't stop people from jumping to conclusions from the picture alone, with Aussie tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis one who was fooled by the snap. "Genuinely thought this was (a) proposal," he wrote. While Boulter's English tennis compatriot Jodie Burrage simply commented: "Not yet".
It comes as De Minaur recently lifted the lid on the difficulty of being away from Boulter when the pair have different tennis schedules. However, while together in the US they are making the most of their time with each other as they both compete at Indian Wells and Miami. De Minaur reached the third round at Indian Wells before falling to sixth seed Alexander Zverev, while Boulter lost her first-round match against the crafty Camila Giorgi.
Boulter played first in Miami this week, leading 7-6 (7-5) 1-0 before Brenda Fruhvirtova retired, sending the Brit through to the second round. De Minaur will kick off his singles tournament against Kwon Soon-woo on Sunday.
Katie Boulter says joint triumph was 'very cool'
Following the pair winning a trophy in the same weekend last month, Boulter described the experience as "very cool". De Minaur successfully defended his Acapulco title in Mexico before jetting off in the early hours to watch Boulter take out the San Diego Open crown 24 hours later in a special moment for the couple.
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"I think that is very cool, I had no idea of the people who had done it and to share something with my other half is something that I won't forget," said Boulter.
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