It’s the festive season and Alex de Minaur and his longtime girlfriend Katie Boulter are in the mood to celebrate, with a pinch of exciting updates for fans. The duo got engaged after dating for almost five years on December 23. After uncovering their ‘small secret’, fellow player Emma Raducanu congratulated the pair ahead of their 2025 season.

Both star players have been together since March 2020 and their support for each other was never kept under wraps. They regularly cheered each other during their tour-level showdowns and even joined forces for a mixed doubles blockbuster at Wimbledon. With both players concluding their respective seasons on a sweet note, having produced impressive results on tour all year, the duo has finally let fans know about their plans.

A week ago, on December 16, British Boulter shared a cryptic post on her Instagram handle, gushing about her lovely day in Alicante, Spain. While the post later saw de Minaur teasing her partner over her ‘good day’ verdict, the couple let the big guns out on Monday morning. The duo made a joint post on their social media account, posing in a smiley selfie where the Briton draped her arm over her partner to flaunt the lovely wedding ring on her finger. The post read: “We’ve been keeping a small secret”.

Naturally, players rushed to congratulate the duo. Among those well-wishers was young superstar Emma Raducanu. Boulter’s compatriot took to her IG and commented on their post saying, “Congrats!!”. Several colleagues and rivals flooded the comments with celebratory wishes, with personalities including Thanassi Kokinakkis and Paula Badosa, among the first ones to toast their engagement news.

However, the duo’s celebrations will have to take a backseat ahead of their commitments at the season-commencing United Cup in Sydney. Great Britain and Australia have been drawn up in the same group for the second consecutive year, meaning they’ll have to cheer against each other as they clash in a tie on December 31. With preparation underway, de Minaur has already confessed to not getting in the Christmas spirit this year.

“No rest for the wicked” Alex de Minaur locked on for United Cup appearance

Australian sensation Alex de Minaur wants to keep his head straight for his upcoming appearance at the United Cup. The home event presents an unequivocal opportunity for his nation to commence the season on a triumphant note as they prep to halt Team Germany’s title defense at the annual group event. In summary, he is ready to sacrifice the festive session to focus on the bigger picture.

During a conversation with ‘AAP’, the Aussie confessed: “There’s not that much time before we start competing again, so you can’t really have too many days off, right? There’s no rest for the wicked. Ultimately, let’s just say the fuel that drives me to get better, that hunger, it over-rides the feeling of me needing a week off, two weeks off with holidays, and enjoying the festive season.”

After joining a host of other players, including Casper Ruud, Alexie Popyrin, and Felix Auger-Aliassame, who announced their engagements this year, the Aussie will look to script a noteworthy start to his season at the Australian hardcourt swing in January 2025.