Wimbledon sportsmanship storm erupts over player’s tears

Alex de Minaur has been dragged into a prickly situation at Wimbledon after girlfriend Katie Boulter’s stunning meltdown.

Katie Boulter fell apart after her opponent's tears. Photo: Wimbledon, Twitter.

Alex de Minaur had the perfect words for Katie Boulter after the Englishwoman crashed out of Wimbledon on Friday morning in wild scenes.

There was high drama on Wimbledon’s No. 1 Court as Boulter inexplicably melted down in a rollercoaster third set tiebreak against fellow Brit Harriet Dart.

Dart broke down in tears right at the moment the match appeared over with Boulter leading 6-2 in the final tiebreaker.

The match needed to be stopped briefly as Dart walked to the back of the court and wiped away tears before she stepped back towards the service line.

Everything changed from that moment on.

Dart recovered to win eight of the final 10 points and progress through to the third round after a memorable three-hour, 4-6 6-1 7-6 (10-8) victory.

Boulter had one of her worst days on court this tear, hitting an astounding 75 unforced errors and they came when they hurt the most in the final points of the match.

Harriet Dart recovered from here. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.

It was a lonely place for Harriet Dart. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.

Despite this, Boulter was composed throughout the tough defeat and was philosophical when facing the press after the match.

She said de Minaur gave her some wise words when they met after the match.

“One match doesn’t define my career. That’s the first thing he said to me when I got off the court,” she said.

“He knows what he’s talking about. It’s not his first rodeo. He’s been through it all before, and I’m lucky to have that support.”

Boulter had plenty of supporters on the court too and there have been suggestions she was hard done by late in the match after Dart’s emotional moment.

The momentum swung violently from that moment of the match, but Boulter showed no sign she was in any way impacted by Dart’s tears.

Other fans, however, have described Dart’s act as “unsportsmanlike”.

“Harriet Dart crying at the back of the court when she’s down in the final set tie break to blatantly put boulter off is criminal,” one fan posted.

“Abysmal sportsmanship.”

Katie Boulter fell apart after her opponent's tears. Photo: Wimbledon, Twitter.

Another posted: “Convinced those tears from Dart were crocodile tears to mess with Boulter’s head.

“To her credit... it’s worked.”

The pair reportedly have a prickly relationship, but there were no signs of bitterness when they embraced at the net after match point.

It was a tough day for Boulter, who had earned seeding at her home grand slam for the first time.

British player Jodie Burrage said on the BBC: “That one will hurt her”.

Both players showed their class. Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP.

Britain's Harriet Dart celebrates her special moment. Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP.

Sports journalist Bobby Manzi wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Katie Boulter threw that away. Gutted”.

De Minaur was there to watch the whole drama unfold after making a late rush from his second round win to sit in Boulter’s player’s box.

Alex de Minaur has raced from the row in front of the press seats to the player box to support girlfriend Katie Boulter on Court No 1 #Wimbledonpic.twitter.com/Zzctghkal3

— Nathan Salt (@NathSalt1) July 4, 2024

Dart had struggled with emotions throughout the match and also needed moments to compose herself earlier in the third set.

Trailing 5-4 after dropping her serve, Dart buried her head in her towel and sobbed.

To her immense credit, she then regrouped to get up and hold serve to stay in the contest, levelling at 5-5.

Boulter, 27, had taken the first 6-4, after both players struggled to find their best form.

Between them they hit 10 double faults during the opening set, with seven coming off the racquet of Dart.

Dart will play Wang Xinyu in the third round, after the Chinese star upset fifth seed Jessica Pegula. The former quarter-finalist was beaten 6-4 6-7 6-1 over on No. 2 Court.

Alex de Minaur makes other boyfriends look bad. Photo: Twitter

Earlier, de Minaur romped into the third round of the Australian Open in a comprehensive 6-2 6-2 7-5 win over Spaniard Jaume Munar.

“It’s never easy playing in these conditions and closing a match out,” the world No. 9 said.

“I played some great tennis, very happy to be in the third round and very happy the sun is out here in London.”

He will face world No. 212 Frenchman Lucas Pouille in the third round after Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis was injured in their match.

The draw is opening up for de Minaur after No. 7 seed Hubert Hurkacz retired from his match against Frenchman Arthur Fils with a leg injury.

It means if de Minaur keeps winning, he won’t come up against another seeded player until the quarterfinals, where he could play No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic.