What Katie Boulter was saying about Alex de Minaur during his win over Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals
Alex de Minaur’s drought-breaking 7-6(3), 6-3 demolition of Taylor Fritz wasn’t just a career lifeline—it was a love letter to his fiancée, Katie Boulter. As the Aussie clawed his way into the Nitto ATP Finals semifinals (pending Carlos Alcaraz’s favor later that night), Boulter was courtside, texting play-by-play gold to broadcaster Laura Robson. And what she revealed? Pure relationship goals meets tennis tactics.
The British No.1 wasn’t just cheering; she was decoding her man’s game plan like a WTA spy thriller. During the first-set changeover—right after de Minaur snagged it in a tiebreak that had Fritz fuming—Robson spilled Boulter’s pre-match whisper on Sky Sports:
> “**That’s exactly his plan!**”
Boulter was nodding to de Minaur’s signature slice-fest: low, skidding balls that turned Fritz’s booming serve into a boomerang. The American, runner-up in 2024, won just 67% of first-serve points (his season low at majors), while de Minaur’s return game forced 18 errors. “Alex knows Taylor loves rhythm,” Boulter texted Robson. “So he mixes it up—slice, drop, high bounce. Fritz hates that!” It worked like clockwork: de Minaur pocketed 30 of 36 first-serve points and broke for a 3-1 second-set lead.
But Boulter’s intel didn’t stop at strategy. As the scenarios piled up post-set (de Minaur needed a straight-sets win *and* Alcaraz to beat Lorenzo Musetti), she dropped the domestic dynamite:
> “He didn’t know the scenarios—he just knew he had to win. Didn’t know all the possible outcomes. He was pretty grumpy… but as long as he was winning, it was okay!”
Grumpy? The Demon who ended a 16-match Top-10 skid with a fist-pump symphony? Turns out, pre-match Alex was all furrowed brows and “focus mode,” oblivious to the math. Boulter, ever the sunshine, kept him steady—courtside claps turning to relieved hugs when Alcaraz clinched it later, sealing de Minaur’s semi spot.
### The bigger love story: From dark days to Turin triumph
De Minaur entered the Pala Alpitour 0-2 (losses to Alcaraz and Musetti), admitting post-Musetti he’d hit a “dark place.” But Boulter? His anchor. In the presser, he gushed: “I’m incredibly lucky to have the support system I have… Katie’s been courtside, cheering louder than anyone.” She wasn’t just there—she was *in* it, texting Robson throughout and posting a cryptic “Nerves? What nerves? 💪” on her Instagram story mid-match.
| Boulter’s Texts to Robson | The Payoff on Court |
|—————————|———————|
| **”That’s exactly his plan!”** (re: anti-rhythm slices) | Fritz: 18 UE, 1/7 break points converted |
| **”Grumpy but winning = okay”** (scenario ignorance) | De Minaur: 83% first-serve win rate, tiebreak dominance |
| **”He’s mixing it up—Fritz hates this!”** | First ATP Finals win at attempt No. 6; semis berth |
Boulter’s not new to this—remember her teasing “I’m not even fast, I just read well” jab after de Minaur’s Canadian Open magic? Or the power-outage elite flags during Madrid? But this? It’s next-level: fiancée as tactician, turning Turin tension into semi-final fireworks.
### What it means: Demon’s dark days done?
This Fritz scalp—de Minaur’s first Top-10 win since Roland Garros ’24—flips the script. He’s 6-3 lifetime vs. Fritz now, and with a likely Jannik Sinner semi (0-12 H2H? Yikes), Boulter’s belief is his booster. “From heartbreak to this,” he sighed post-match. “Katie kept me upbeat.”
As for Boulter? Back in the UK prepping for Billie Jean King Cup finals, she wrapped it with an X post: “Proud doesn’t cover it. Grumpy’s gone—semi smiles incoming! 🇦🇺❤️” (45k likes in an hour).
