Australian tennis star Alex de Minaur has extended his support to his girlfriend, Katie Boulter, amid a major controversy involving abuse from gamblers.
Boulter, the No. 2-ranked female British player, recently told BBC Sport that the “disgusting” and “horrible” messages she regularly receives online leave her feeling “very vulnerable.”
Much of the abuse, Boulter has said, comes from gamblers and tends to follow both her wins and losses.
What Alex de Minaur Has Said About Online Abuse Directed at Boulter:
Australian No. 1 De Minaur has praised Boulter for bringing attention to the online abuse athletes face.
De Minaur and Boulter began dating in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“It’s great for her to step up and shine a light into this, which is something that happens to every single tennis player out there,” de Minaur said during media availability at the Queen’s Club Championships in London. “Every single athlete, I would say,” he added.
De Minaur, who launched his grass court season at Queen’s, lost his opener to the Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka.
In addition to the frustration of losing a match, De Minaur noted that athletes also have to deal with what happens behind the scenes with angry gamblers. He added that he, too, has faced similar abuse online.
“I haven’t gone on my social media yet, but I’m sure I’ll have a lot of people not too happy with my result,” he said after the loss to Lehecka. “But it’s just part of it. I would love for it to be dealt with or fixed somehow.”
However, the No. 12-ranked player said he was “not too sure what’s the answer.”
What Katie Boulter Has Said About Shocking Online Abuse Directed at Her:
Boulter, 28, has faced intense scrutiny in Britain ever since she burst onto the scene.
The young star recently spoke with BBC Sport about the volume and nature of abuse directed at players.
“I hope you get cancer.”
No player should suffer social media abuse like this…
Tennis star Katie Boulter has shared some of the “disgusting” and “horrible” messages she regularly receives online.The British number two says some threats leave her feeling “very vulnerabl pic.twitter.com/z5bN3ooOrB
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 17, 2025
She also shared screenshots of her private inbox, showing the extent of the abuse. One message said the sender hoped she got cancer, Boulter told BBC Sport.
One of the most alarming threats came during her French Open first-round match against Carole Monnet. Although Boulter dropped the first set in a tiebreak, she rallied to defeat her opponent.
An emotional Boulter admitted she feels “vulnerable” because of the constant online threats.
“You really don’t know if this person is on site,” she said. “You really don’t know if they’re nearby or if they know where you live or anything like that.”
