Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter go public with big 'secret' ahead of awkward tennis showdown

Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter have announced their engagement, just days before they are expected to square off against one another. The tennis power couple shared a photo on social media on Monday night, along with the caption: “We’ve been keeping a small secret..."

The post was a picture of the couple beaming ear to ear as the Englishwoman showed off her new bling on her finger. And while it's unclear when the proposal actually took place, friends and fellow tennis stars were quick to chip in and say it was long overdue.

“About damn time!” Fellow Aussie tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis said. Anna Kalinskaya wrote: "Yessssss I was waiting, congratulations, a lot of love". While Emma Raducanu, Marta Kostyuk and Paula Badosa all wrote positive messages to the happy couple.

De Minaur and Boulter have been dating since March 2020, and news of their engagement caps off incredible years on and off the court for the pair. Boulter, 28, is now British no1, having this year won her first WTA 500 title at the San Diego Open which took her to a world ranking of No.27.

While de Minaur was ranked a career-high No.6 in the world in June and finished the year ranked inside the top 10 after reaching the quarter-finals of both the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open for the first time.

Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter in awkward showdown

While de Minaur and Boulter will spend Christmas celebrating their engagement with friends and family, things will take an interesting turn in the new year. The pair will both line up for their respective nations at the United Cup and are set to face off against each other on January 1 in Sydney.

If de Minaur and Boulter opt to play in the mixed-doubles event, as the two highest-ranked male and female players from their nation, then they would likely play against each other. The draw also sets up an intriguing battle for de Minaur against World No. 19 Jack Draper. But the prospect of playing her partner isn't something Boulter is overly keen to do.

“I wouldn’t say I was thrilled at the idea of playing him all over again,” she said on Monday. “He’s a top 10 player and he knows how to play tennis, so there’s one side of it. Then there’s the personal side of it which is difficult but also great for bragging rights.

“I’m looking forward to the match and I think it’s going to be a great atmosphere. Playing Australia is always going to be fun. We’re definitely going to be the underdogs so let’s put pressure on them.”

It will be the second straight year they have been on opposite teams and de Minaur is also not thrilled by the prospect of trying to beat his partner. “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s almost surreal that it’s a whole year later and here we are again,” he said.

“It’s going to be interesting once again. Hopefully, we can play some good tennis. It’s not my ideal interesting, but it is the luck of the draw.”