Alex de Minaur’s stunning recovery for Olympics in huge twist around girlfriend Katie Boulter
The Aussie has shaken off the hip injury that halted his Wimbledon run in time for the Paris Games.
Aussie tennis star Alex de Minaur has announced he will compete at the Paris Olympics after making a speedy recovery from a hip injury that forced him to withdraw from Wimbledon. Earlier this month, de Minaur announced just hours before his scheduled quarter-final clash with Novak Djokovic that he wouldn’t be able to compete, after suffering a hip cartilage tear in the final game of his last 16 win over Arthur Fils.
De Minaur did everything in his power to try and play against Djokovic, but ultimately it wasn’t enough, with his attention quickly turning to trying to be fit in time to represent Australia at the Paris Games. However, that was viewed as a long shot with the recovery time estimated at being between 3-6 weeks and his campaign with Australia kicking off just some 17 days after his injury.
But on Tuesday, de Minaur confirmed in an Instagram post that he would line up for Australia. “To finally be able to represent Australia in the Olympics is a dream come true,” he wrote. “I’m very passionate when I play for my country and wear the green and gold, so this is another one of those moments. I’m extremely excited to lace up for Paris 2024.”
When informed that de Minaur had confirmed he would play, teammate Ajla Tomljanovic told the Nine Network: “Of course he is – he’s Demon. He’ll never miss an opportunity to put the green and gold on.”
Paris will mark de Minaur’s first Olympic Games after he was heartbreakingly forced out of the Tokyo Games at the last minute in 2021 after contracting Covid. De Minaur and Tomljanovic will lead an Aussie team that includes Alexei Popyrin, Daria Saville, Rinky Hijikata, Ellen Perez, Matthew Ebden, John Peers and Olivia Gadecki.
Alex De Minaur and Katie Boulter to face off?
The tennis tournament at the Paris Games, which will be played on the iconic red clay of the French Open Grand Slam venue, Roland Garros, features five medal events – singles and doubles for both men and women and mixed doubles. And De Minaur may find himself in the awkward position of having to face his partner Katie Boulter in the mixed doubles.
Boulter will also make her Olympic debut in Paris by competing in the women’s singles tournament and may also form part of the UK’s mixed doubles team. While Australia is seen as a great chance of a mixed doubles medal and De Minaur is all but certain to form part of that team as well as chasing singles glory. And there is every chance if Australia draws England, that he could be standing on the other side of the net to his long-term girlfriend and could face a somewhat uncomfortable situation of attempting to win a medal at the potential cost of the woman he loves.
Andy Murray confirms Paris Olympics will be his last hurrah
Meanwhile, three-time grand slam champion Andy Murray has confirmed he will retire from tennis after this summer’s Olympics. The 37-year-old revealed in a post to social media that the Paris Games will be his “last ever tennis tournament”.
“Arrived in Paris for my last ever tennis tournament @Olympics. Competing for Team GB has been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I’m extremely proud to get to do it one final time!,” he wrote on Instagram.
The injury-plagued former star bid an emotional farewell to fans at this year’s Wimbledon – the venue where he won two major titles – following a doubles defeat alongside brother Jamie. Murray is now preparing to play both singles and doubles at the Olympics in what will be his tennis farewell. The tennis competition at the Olympics begins on July 27.
