"My turn to start learning from her" - Alex de Minaur in awe of how girlfriend Katie Boulter has managed the spotlight and media pressure

Despite a disappointing exit from the Wimbledon Championships, Alex de Minaur found solace and inspiration in the blossoming career of his girlfriend, British tennis player Katie Boulter.

De Minaur was shown the exit door in the second round of the Wimbledon Championships by Italian player Matteo Berrettini through a straight-sets win.

Berrettini's forceful service game proved to be a significant factor in his 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over the Australian player. De Minaur praised Berrettini's serving prowess in his post-match press conference.

"I think it's pretty high up there. Consistently over 130s, hitting spots. Can hit every serve."

He felt Berrettini's ability to swing on his return gave him the upper hand.

"It's tough to play an opponent like that when he's feeling it from the get-go."

Although de Minaur conceded feeling disappointed about the loss, he turned to a silver lining in his personal life, namely Katie Boulter's resilience and performance.

"Since the moment I met her, I knew she had it in her," de Minaur fondly reflected. "I've always thought she's such a high-quality player, and it's been amazing and great to see how she's developed. She's got that self-belief and what she's been able to accomplish."

De Minaur further highlighted Katie Boulter's grace under pressure as an admirable trait.

"The way she's been handling the spotlight, the pressures, it's been pretty astounding to me. Now it's probably my turn to start learning from her."

Boulter's rise in women's tennis and her handling of media attention and spotlight has been notable, demonstrating her growing maturity as a professional athlete. De Minaur appreciated her journey and expressed optimism about her future.

"Hopefully she can keep on going and finish off a great year."

As for his own career, de Minaur plans to use this loss as a lesson and prepare for the challenges ahead. He indicated that he's looking to finish the year strong and maintain his current high-ranking position.

Reflecting on the season so far, he said:

"When I've had a bit more time, I'm sure I'll be able to be pretty content with how this couple weeks have gone. I'm sitting at a nice little ranking at the moment, and, you know, hopefully set myself up for a strong end of the year and keep pushing myself towards my goals."

Katie Boulter to face Elena Rybakina in the third round

Katie Boulter plays a forehand at Wimbledon 2023

The third round of the Wimbledon Championships is set to witness an exciting showdown between British tennis sensation Katie Boulter and world number three Elena Rybakina.

Katie Boulter, in her run so far, has displayed exceptional confidence, besting her initial adversaries with marked supremacy. The initial rounds did not pit her against any high-ranking players, a fact that worked in her favor.

Rybakina, on the other hand, was taken by surprise in her previous match against American Shelby Rogers, who clinched the first set with a 6-4 win. However, the world number three bounced back, asserting her dominance in the following sets.

Capitalizing on a couple of break points in each of the next two sets, Rybakina secured her victory with a 6-1, 6-2 triumph. This helped alleviate concerns among her fans, who had started to worry after Rogers won the opening set.

When Boulter faces Rybakina, it will be the first meeting between these two players in a match, leading to a current head-to-head record of 0-0.

In terms of recent form, Rybakina has won nine out of her last 10 matches, while Katie Boulter's victory tally stands at five. Projections for the upcoming match tip the scale in favor of Rybakina, predicting her victory in straight sets.

It's all set to be an intriguing encounter as fans eagerly await to see if Boulter can upset the form book or if Rybakina will continue her winning momentum.