Double heartbreak for Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter as Olympics tennis dream ruined
The golden couple of tennis had been hoping to win medals together in Paris.
Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter's dream of winning medals at the same Olympics has been dashed in brutal scenes, with both losing their opening matches in Paris. De Minaur was in action with Alexei Popyrin in the doubles on Monday night, after opting not to compete in the singles due to the hip injury that ruined his Wimbledon campaign.
But the Aussie has now bowed out of the Olympics altogether after he and Popyrin went down to Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram of the United States 6-2 6-3. De Minaur didn't appear to be moving too well, clearly still hampered by the hip injury that resulted in him withdrawing from Wimbledon before his quarter-final clash with Novak Djokovic.
"He has tried to do everything possible to get himself ready to play singles at the Olympics," an AOC spokesperson said. "He will prioritise men's doubles alongside his childhood friend Alexei Popyrin."
De Minaur was desperate to wear the green and gold in Paris after he missed out on playing tennis at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after testing positive for Covid. His withdrawal from the singles and first-round exit in the doubles will leave him heartbroken.
Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter's Olympic dream dashed
He and girlfriend Boulter had been dreaming of a deep run together in Paris, and it would have been perfection for the golden couple of tennis to both win medals in their respective events. But Boulter also suffered a first round loss when she went down to Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-4 6-2 in the first round of the women's singles.
Fans had been hoping de Minaur and Boulter would come up against each other in mixed doubles, but the Aussie isn't playing the event due to his injury. All is not lost for Boulter however, with the British athlete in the doubles with Heather Watson.
It hasn't been a great campaign in Paris for the Aussie tennis players, with Matt Ebden thrashed 6-0 6-1 by Novak Djokovic in the first round of the singles. However Popyrin managed to win his opening singles match, beating Nicolas Jarry 6-3 7-6 (5) to set up a clash with former Australian Open winner Stan Wawrinka. But both Aussie women bowed out in the first round after second seed Coco Gauff beat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3 6-0 and Olivia Gadecki lost to Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus 6-4 6-1.
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Novak Djokovic beats Rafa Nadal in battle of tennis titans
On Monday night, Djokovic advanced to the third round with a commanding performance against long-time rival Rafa Nadal. The Spanish champion had considered withdrawing from singles to focus on his doubles campaign with Carlos Alcaraz, but changed his mind and won his opening match.
But he was no match for Djokovic on Monday, with the Serbian superstar dispatching Nadal 6-1 6-4. It was the 60th - and possibly last - time the tennis titans played each other across their storied careers.
Nadal is likely in the final year of his career, but has been unwilling to confirm his retirement. "I cannot live every single day with the feeling that it's going to be or not going to be my last match. I come here. I try my best. I play," he said. "And when I decide to stop playing or when I decide to keep going, I will let you know."
with AAP
