Latest news with #AustralianTennis
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
British tennis star Katie Boulter hopes £1.9m love nest she shares with Aussie ace will help boost Wimbledon chances
TENNIS star Katie Boulter is counting on home comforts at this year's Wimbledon — by staying with her fiancé at their £1.9million love nest. The 28-year-old was spotted on a stroll with fellow ace Alex De Minaur near their three-bed cottage this week. 4 4 British No2 Katie cut a casual look in a baggy red T-shirt and leggings, paired with white trainers. It is understood Alex, 26, bought the London pad in 2023 and they have been living in it together for some time. A source said: 'Love is very much in the air for Katie and Alex. They've been together for five years, they got engaged last year, and they've found their dream home. "They can only hope to have as much success on the court next week as they've had in their relationship.' Katie, from Leicester, hopes sleeping in her own bed improves her chances of success when she and Australian men's No1 Alex start their Wimbledon campaigns next week. Katie told Women's Health: 'Being at home brings a sense of calm that's hard to replicate in hotels, and I think that can really help with focus.' Last year the fan favourite made the second round before . Afterwards Katie went on a winning run which saw her break into the world Top 25 for the first time. She is currently No41. Sydney-born Alex is world ranked No11 and last year reached the Wimbledon quarter finals. A representative for Katie was approached for comment. Meet Alex de Minaur - Spanish-speaking 'honorary Brit' dating Katie Boulter and about to take on Novak Djokovic 4
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
De Minaur's BLISTERING start in Paris
French Open: Australian Alex de Minaur overcame Laslo Djerre in three sets (6-3, 6-4, 7-6) in the opening round of Roland Garros.
The Guardian
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘I am free and happy': Daria Kasatkina has no regrets ahead of first grand slam as Australian
When Daria Kasatkina announced that she had officially switched allegiance from Russia to Australia, she picked up her phone soon after to be greeted with whoops of delight from another Australian player, Daria Saville. 'I was not telling anyone before it came out,' Kasatkina says to Guardian Australia on the eve of the 2025 French Open. 'Dasha called me straightaway and she was so excited. She was so happy for me and I felt so happy because she was super-happy for me. 'It was so natural and now we're real neighbours. I could not have a better neighbour. She's always happy, she's one of the happiest people, I've known her a long time, but it's special that she feels so happy for me. And now we're part of one team.' Saville knows better than most what it is like to switch national and sporting allegiance, having done so in 2014 and going on to marry Australian tennis player Luke Saville and become a citizen. Long-time friends, Saville is now helping Kasatkina to find a place to live near her own home in Melbourne. 'Well, she's trying,' Kasatkina says. 'She's sending me locations, everything. I have to look deeper into it.' Changing nationality was not a decision that came easy to Kasatkina, but one she felt she had to take. One of the few Russian-born players to publicly condemn the country's invasion of Ukraine, the fact that she is openly gay means she can't live the life she wants to in the nation of her birth. When the opportunity to become an Australian citizen, an idea first broached by her agent, John Morris, to Tennis Australia during this year's Australian Open, she jumped at the chance. Official meetings followed and forms were completed, if not exactly by Kasatkina herself. 'I don't know the exact details because I was not doing the applications,' she says with a laugh. 'As a professional athlete, we're never doing this stuff.' Luckily, there were no awkward questions and the process was swift, with Kasatkina becoming a permanent resident of Australia on 29 March. 'Of course it's a big decision,' she says, adding that her family were happy as long as she is happy. 'It's never easy to do something like that. But I am very conscious when I am making this step that I know this is better for my future. I ended up in the situation where I have to make this choice. It's unfortunate, but I had to make it and I'm happy with the decision. 'Honestly, in the past couple of months, I have become a much happier person. I feel like a lot of weight has dropped off my shoulders. I am free and happy. For me this is the most important thing and … I feel this decision is right.' Australia is happy too, with Kasatkina immediately boosting their credentials as a top-20 player. The 28-year-old's results have been up and down since the change, but she is a proven world-class performer, a former semi-finalist at Roland Garros and someone equally adept on grass. Totally comfortable with her decision, the only thing Kasatkina still finds a little strange is when the tournament MCs introduce her as being from Australia. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion 'I'm still getting used to it,' she says. 'It's a great feeling to represent a country like Australia. It's just something to get used to, I guess. I'm very happy with how everyone welcomed me. The first couple of times it did feel a bit strange. Also to see this beautiful flag next to me, I'm getting more used to it, because at the beginning in the schedule I was a bit confused, but now it's becoming better.' Being Australia's No 1, and suddenly having an entire new nation behind her, is a fresh experience and even for someone as experienced as Kasatkina, it's something extra to deal with. 'It's maybe a little bit of additional pressure, especially when I stepped on court for that first match,' she says. 'That was a lot of pressure. But I'm just going and playing every match like before. It's adding maybe a little pressure but we are facing pressure every single day.' Kasatkina has not had the best of clay-court seasons; in fact she has won just two matches in three tournaments since her switch was announced. But as one of the most talented players on the WTA Tour, with more variety than most, she knows that it could take just one good performance to flick a switch. 'You're going to have ups and downs,' she says, ahead of a first-round match with the Czech, Katerina Siniakova. 'You can be super-ready and still not win many matches and then, next couple of weeks, you may not be feeling amazing, but still somehow you're there. That's normal. I just keep working, I keep pushing and sooner or later, the results will come. I'm very positive about that.'
ABC News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
BONUS: Destanee Aiava's French connection
BONUS: There was a time where tennis fans wondered if Destanee Aiava might be lost to the sport, instead the 25-year-old is preparing to play the French Open having landed a wild card off the back of some impressive showings post Australian Open. Destanee is joining us to talk about her impending date with Roland Garros, living with borderline personality disorder, tennis fashion and how things have changed post AO. Featured: Destanee Aiava, Australian tennis player.
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Tennis legend Jelena Dokic shares shock baby news: 'I would be a bloody good mum'
Jelena Dokic has opened up about her desire to one day have children and admitted she is considering adoption. The Australian tennis legend, 42, has revealed she has a profound love for children and an unwavering commitment to providing a nurturing home. 'I actually think I would be a good mum to be honest, I love kids,' she told the Mental As Anyone podcast. She reflected on her lifelong dream of motherhood and how she is still optimistic about it despite significant hardship along the way. 'I don't think that that's going to happen for me. I was in a relationship for almost 19 years from the age of 20. When we split up, we were about to start trying for a family,' she said. Jelena announced her split from Tin Bikic in January last year and has remained single ever since. The retired athlete said she is confident she would be a great parent despite her difficult childhood with an abusive father. 'Even 15 years ago, when I was 25, I always said, I want to have kids, but I want adopt,' she admitted. 'Maybe it comes from when you grow up in a home that's fractured and with pain. You go, "Maybe I can give something different to a kid." 'I always wanted to do that for at least one kid in the world. That's a big wish of mine and I hope to do it one day. 'I know I can give it absolutely everything and would have all the love and support and I would be completely different. I just love kids so much. I know I would be a bloody good mum and I know I would give it the love of a million people.' She also made a heartbreaking admission about the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of her estranged father, Damir. The former tennis star admitted while she is unable to forgive her father, who she has not spoken to for over a decade, she still cannot bring herself to hate him. 'People say you have to forgive, not for your abuser or someone that caused you pain, but for yourself,' she said. She reflected on her lifelong dream of motherhood and how she is still optimistic about it despite significant hardship along the way 'But I'm not sure I agree with that because I don't necessarily have to forgive him to be able to move on. 'You have to accept the circumstances. Accepting that that was my life, the cards I'd been dealt, that's fine but I don't hate him. But I don't forgive him.' Jelena, who has since reinvented herself as a commentator and sports analyst, added that despite her ordeal and its ensuing aftermath, she does not want to be viewed as a victim. 'I want people to look at me not as a victim, I'm a survivor, but most importantly, thriver, a success story,' she said. 'I want people to go, 'you know, she did it, I can do it too'.' Jelena's revelation comes after she said she would suffer through '100 years of abuse' from her father if it meant she could undo her decision to turn her back on playing for Australia. She detailed the harrowing physical and mental abuse she suffered at the hands of her father in her 2017 autobiography Unbreakable. The book was subsequently adapted into a documentary, Unbreakable: The Jelena Dokic Story, which was released in cinemas in 2024. The documentary also aired on Channel Nine in January 2025.
