The boyfriend of British tennis star Katie Boulter has described her as “a very strong person” for battling grief and injury during Wimbledon this year.
Australian number one Alex de Minaur also said he would have given up his Court 1 slot for Boulter to benefit from a bigger home crowd if he had the choice.
De Minaur beat Britain’s Liam Broady on Wimbledon’s second-biggest court on Saturday, while Boulter was knocked out of the competition by France’s Harmony Tan, who also beat tennis titan Serena Williams on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old from Leicester made headlines after dedicating her earlier win to her grandmother, Jill, who had died two days before, in a tearful speech to the crowd.
De Minaur, 23, told journalists on Saturday that Boulter has been “incredibly strong” during a difficult time.
He said: “I think not many people know how strong she is, as a human being, as a character, how she’s been able to deal with a lot in her young career.
“She hasn’t been playing nearly as much on tour just because of injuries and other things happening through her life.
“So I think she’s just an incredibly strong person, to be able to come back after all these injuries and still come out and play probably one of her best grass court seasons to date and just show what she can do on a daily basis is just amazing.”
When asked if he would have traded his Court 1 slot for Boulter’s Court 2, he said: “I mean, of course.
“She’s a Brit, so I’m sure she would have loved to play on Court 1 or on Centre and get as much support as she could.
“But, it’s not in my hands.”
De Minaur added that they can count on each other for support whatever the result of their games.
He said: “If I was to play first and she’s later on, if I can go out there, win my match, I will be there supporting her later on. She does the same.
“We’re there for each other, which is the biggest thing – win, lose, or draw.”
