Cathy Boulter and Alex de Minaur will play mixed doubles together for the first time. has ever played mixed doubles at Wimbledon once in her career, but makes an exception for someone special: boyfriend Alex de Minor.
Boulter and Australian De Minaur have been a couple for several years and have been biggest each other fans throughout the grass court season. Both sat in the stands to cheer each other on in the first round at Wimbledon this week and intend to bolster that support by becoming teammates for the first time mixed doubles starts on Friday.
«I had the honor to ask him and he said yes,» Boulter said with a shy smile on Wednesday. “I think it's something we both wanted to do for quite some time. I think we'll both really enjoy it and cherish it. It's not often that you get that kind of experience together, especially at Wimbledon. We'll go there and swing. We have nothing to lose, so I'm looking forward to it.»
They will face Australian pairing John Pearce and Storm Hunter in the first round, and when asked if she was worried about them colliding on the court, Boulter replied with a laugh, “I hope not. No, I think it will be an experience. This will be a test of our relationship, I don't doubt it for a minute. On the court with him is a completely different atmosphere. I think we bring out the best in each other, in terms of tennis, on and off the court. I think we'll smile and have fun.»
Boulter advanced to the second round of singles after beating Daria Saville in two sets. Photo: PA Photo/Adam Davy
Power pairs are not new to tennis. The most famous example of on-court romance is perhaps 22-time world champion Steffi Graf and former world No. 1 Andre Agassi. They started dating late in Graf's career and married in 2001 when she retired, but the pair share 30 Grand Slam singles titles.
Before them, former UK No. 1 John Lloyd and 18-time world champion Chris Evert was once married and after she was briefly engaged to American Jimmy Connors in the 1970s.
Lloyd and Evert even played a charity match against another couple, Bjorn Borg and Mariana Simionescu, in Battersea Park in 1980. There were reports that the couple hugged and kissed a lot on the court before winning the match in straight sets.
Furthermore, people often forget that Roger Federer's wife, Mirka, was a tennis player herself before how an injury hindered her career progression. She played mixed doubles with him at the Hopman Cup in 2002 before they became a couple.
Most recently, Italian Matteo Berrettini and Australian Ayla Tomljanovic starred in the Netflix documentary series Breaking Point, which explores the challenges of balancing a romantic relationship and a professional tennis tour. They separated soon after.
Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Elina Svitolina, who also plays at SW19 in those two weeks, married French fan favorite Gael Monfils and the couple welcomed their first child last year.
Professional players Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina got married. Photo: Getty Images/Getty Images
Love seems to be in the air at Wimbledon as Boulter and De Minaur are not the only couple to have been drawn in the mixed doubles. Spaniard Paula Badosa and world No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas recently announced their romance and also play doubles together for the first time at Wimbledon.
They reportedly flaunted their love in the stadium and, despite having just started dating at the Italian Open in April, have already referred to themselves as «soulmates».
Badosa was in the stands after Tsitsipas' win in first round. on Wednesday, giving him heart signs on the court.
«It's nice to do this with people, some of whom have recently entered my life,» Tsitsipas said of their pairing partnership. “I would never have done this if not for this. Paulita, let's do it.»
They have a tough draw with top seeds Jessica Pegula and Austin Krycek in the first round, but they're hoping their unique chemistry will help them win.
Badosa detailed how she first became interested in Tsitsipas and revealed that she dreamed about him during the Australian Open.
«It's amazing because I've never dreamed about tennis players, but I dreamed about him that night that we both won the Australian Open,» Badosa said on Wednesday. “Then we had a very romantic moment, but I won’t explain. I'll just leave it there.»
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