British tennis player Katie Boulter humorously teased her fiancé, Australian tennis star Alex de Minaur, after they were defeated in a mixed doubles match.
Following their loss, Boulter joked that partnering with De Minaur would be a “second and last time” experience for her.
The engaged couple, representing Britain and Australia, were beaten by the American team of Emma Navarro and Ben Shelton on Wednesday at the Eisenhower Cup in Indian Wells. This exhibition tournament serves as a warm-up for the BNP Paribas Open.
The matches at the Eisenhower Cup feature a fast-paced, streamlined format, with each team competing in a ten-point tie-break.
Boulter and De Minaur were evenly matched with six points each at one point in the game. However, Shelton and Navarro took the lead after capitalizing on a misplayed shot from the Australian player.
After the match, Boulter was asked if it was the first time she and De Minaur had played doubles together.
The British number one playfully responded: “Second… and last time.”
She was then questioned about De Minaur’s performance in the match.
Boulter defended her future husband, saying: “No, he did great! He was great!”
She further added, “I thought he was going to chase some shots, but he left them for me. So that was awesome.”
De Minaur jokingly retorted: “To be honest, every ball I touched with my racket, I missed. So, I figured it would be better if she hit every ball.”
De Minaur had previously hinted at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships that he and Boulter might play together more often in the upcoming year.
Both Boulter and De Minaur received a bye for the first round of the singles competitions at the BNP Paribas Open.
The tennis power couple has been dating since 2020 and announced their engagement in late 2024.
