British star Katie Boulter has been left grateful for the consoling words of boyfriend Alex de Minaur after her Wimbledon exit and she'll be back in the Australian star's corner as he seeks his own slice of SW19 glory.
The Anglo-Aussie pair, the supposed 'power couple' of tennis, have become big news at Wimbledon, with plenty of social media praise being heaped on de Minaur after he acted as a comforter for British No.1 Boulter following her capitulation to Harriet Dart in the deciding super tie-break of their second-round match.
"It's just being there for each other, right? So whatever it is she needs today, I'll be there for her," de Minaur explained after he had helped her come to terms with a shattering capitulation from 6-2 up in the breaker.
But Boulter, who had to play the same support role at the Australian Open in Melbourne after de Minaur had lost a painful one to Andrey Rublev, will be back cheering for the 25-year-old Sydneysider when he takes on Lucas Pouille for a place in the last-16 on Saturday (Sunday AEST).
"Look, one match doesn't define my career. That's the first thing he said to me when I got off the court," Boulter explained, when asked about how de Minaur had tried to cheer her up after dashing to watch her match on No.1 Court on Thursday following his own second-round win over Jaume Munar.
"He knows what he's talking about. It's not his first rodeo. He's been through it all before. I'm lucky to have that support."
There have been moments during their relationship when they've both enjoyed glory on the same weekend, like in March when de Minaur rushed from Mexico to the US after his triumph in Acapulco to watch Boulter also land a WTA title in San Diego.
Only last month, de Minaur won in 's-Hertogenbosch while Boulter was emerging triumphant on the same weekend in Nottingham, earning the Australian a jokey ticking off from the Englishwoman, who told the crowd: "My boyfriend didn't make the trip even though I thought he might after his win!"
But this was one of those more difficult days when one has succeeded as the other struggled.
"Look, it's what happens in tennis, right? You have your good days, you have your bad days, and everything in between," said de Minaur.
"It's going to be tough. Losing sucks. That's the reality of it. It doesn't matter whether you lose in the first round, in the final, or anything in between, it's never easy.
"But I think the most important thing for her is that this match doesn't define her in any way, shape, or form. Yeah, so proud of what she's done, what she's accomplished this whole grass court season. She's just going to keep on kicking on."
Boulter will doubtless be at courtside on Saturday when de Minaur tackles 30-year-old Pouille, a former top-10 player good enough to have reached the 2016 Australian Open semi-final but who's been bedevilled by injuries for the last few years and has dropped to 212 in the rankings.
"He is a veteran player whose level is very high, and can make it very hard on any player out there on his day," said de Minaur, of the French qualifier.
"So he's probably going to take it to me. I've got to be bringing my A game."
