Alex de Minaur on the British grass court season, life in london & mixed doubles with Katie Boulter
Australian tennis star and 2023 cinch championships runner-up Alex de Minaur is gearing up for a return to West London, as he seeks to go one further this summer.
Almost 12 months ago, de Minaur – a former Rothesay International Eastbourne winner - arrived at the Queen’s Club ranked world No.17 and with a strong grass court game in his locker.
Just days later he went on to reach the final of the ATP 500 event having defeated five-time cinch Championships titlist Andy Murray, Diego Schwartzman and Holger Rune before eventually losing out to Carlos Alcaraz 6-4, 6-4 in the final.
Since then, the Australian No.1 has gone on to break into the world’s top 10 for the first time in his career, recorded a career-first win over a world No.1 when he defeated Novak Djokovic at the United Cup and successfully defended his ATP 500 crown in Acapulco.
On top of playing some of the best tennis of his career on the ATP circuit, off-court de Minaur has been spending more time than ever on British soil. Thanks to long-term girlfriend and British No.1 Katie Boulter, London has begun to feel like a home away from home for de Minuar, who is eagerly awaiting the 2024 grass court swing
“I’m enjoying London a lot at the moment. I’m obviously spending a lot of time there with Katie (Boulter) and it’s the home of the grass courts. I love playing on the grass and am looking forward to coming back this year.
“I definitely felt the love from the British crowd last year, it’s always been a very special place for me to play and I’ve always loved going back to Queen’s – it’s just special.”
De Minaur first showcased his grass-court talents back at the Rothesay International in 2021 when he lifted the fifth ATP title of his career. Facing Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the final, he came back from a set down to earn a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) victory and secure a maiden title on the grass.
Since then, the grass court swing has held a special place for the Aussie, who will be looking to join an elite club of Australians who've been crowned champion at the Queen’s Club, including Rod Laver and four-time champion Lleyton Hewitt.
“Probably the most recent memory I have of Lleyton is watching him play doubles on centre court (at the Queen's Club).
“Just walking by the hallway and seeing him win it four times - it's not easy at all and not many people have done it. It’s special, it’s always been a special tournament and the goal is to hopefully put my name on that trophy at least once.
“It’s one of the swings of the year that I enjoy the most. You don’t get the chance to play on the grass courts that often and the whole swing is beautiful.
“I’ve got quite a flat stroke so I’ve always enjoyed the grass courts from a very young age, and it seems to bring out some of my best tennis so hopefully I can go one better this year."
The 2023 grass court season saw the 25-year-old join forces with Boulter for the mixed doubles draw at The Championships, Wimbledon. Competing alongside each other for the first time in their careers, the couple cruised through to the round of 16 in SW19 - admitting it was some of the most fun moments they'd had on a tennis court.
With both Boulter and de Minaur in the form of their careers, they could be set for another standout summer on the grass in the singles event, but could we be expecting more doubles action from the duo over the coming months?
"I think I’m playing the best tennis of my career so far. I’m playing confident tennis and I’m enjoying myself and hopefully I can keep it going and pushing myself and who knows where I can get to.
“It could be a chance (to play doubles with Katie) maybe at Wimbledon. It was a super fun time for both of us – one of those moments that I’ve enjoyed the most on a tennis court.
“We kind of forgot we were even playing a tennis match, we got to have a good old time and we actually played some decent doubles together so who knows, we might bring it back this year.”
You can watch de Minaur in action at the cinch Championships, alongside fellow ATP top 20 players Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, getting underway from 15-23 June.