Alex de Minaur takes jab at rivals as Aussie teams up with fiancee Katie Boulter

Alex de Minaur has jokingly hit out at some of his rivals after entering the US Open mixed doubles competition with his fiancee, British tennis star Katie Boulter. The revamped event will see 16 teams face off in a fast-four scoring format across two days, with £738k ($1million) up for grabs.

The likes of Jannik Sinner and Emma Navarro, Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, and Holger Rune and Amanda Anisimova have also put their names down. Only eight teams get in via direct singles ranking and the other eight, including De Minaur and Boulter, will need wildcards from the US Tennis Association.

There will be tough competition for the wildcards. Twenty-five teams have now signed up for the tournament, but De Minaur believes he and Boulter have a better case than most.

"We'd be definitely asking for a wildcard, and we're definitely hoping for a wildcard. I think, you know, yeah, why not give a little bit of love to a tennis couple?" the Australian world No. 13 said.

"You know, we have been going strong, it's been what, five years already, getting married next year. I think we're showing that there is good chemistry between us.

"I think some of the other partnerships, they haven't really said a word to each other in their lives, right? At least we kind of know each other, so we can hopefully show some good chemistry and hopefully play some good matches there."

De Minaur isn't wrong. Although ATP No. 1 Sinner and American star Navarro appeared on the first entry list back in June, Sinner later revealed they didn't meet until after they'd signed up for the tournament.

Ahead of Wimbledon, the four-time Major winner admitted: "I just met her yesterday for the first time. We never talked. We never texted to each other. It's actually a funny story.

"Yeah, kind of the tournament, they wanted us to kind of play together because of certain teams were already set up."

Some of the other teams, including Alcaraz and Raducanu, already have a good friendship. The British No. 3 said she had known Alcaraz for "years" and admitted they were pushing each other on at the 2021 US Open, a tournament she went on to win.

"For all of us, we really kind of value those connections that we had from when we were young. Because when you become like a bit more known or a bit more successful, you just find yourself reverting back to people you knew from a young age," she explained.

But some teams have already pulled out before the entry deadline of July 28. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa have withdrawn following a reported break-up, meaning De Minaur and Boulter would be the only tennis couple in the draw if they got a wildcard.

British No. 1 Jack Draper and Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng have also pulled out after suffering injuries. Draper is set to miss the Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati with an arm issue while Zheng has undergone elbow surgery and will miss the North American hard-court swing altogether.

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