"Give me my pin back"- Alex de Minaur and girlfriend Katie Boulter engage in a hilarious banter ahead of their Paris Olympics 2024 debuts
Alex de Minaur and girlfriend Katie Boulter have been enjoying the festivities and traditions around the Olympic games, and have made sure to give fans a glimpse of their time in the Olympics village.
De Minaur and Boulter are all set to make their Olympics debuts in Paris later this week. The Australian missed out on the last edition in Tokyo due to COVID-19. Boulter's ranking proved to be a hurdle too big to climb last time out, but her incredible rise especially this year is set to see her take part in her first-ever Olympic Games.
Basking in the festivities the Olympics village has to offer, Boulter gave fans a sneak peek of her time via her Instagram account. She shared an image alongside compatriot and fellow tennis professional Heather Watson in front of the Olympic logo, and an image containing the photos of all the athletes representing Great Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"MADE IT TO MY FIRST OLYMPICS 🥹🇬🇧ðŸ˜," Boulter exclaimed.
Boyfriend de Minaur was quick to swoop into the comments section with some playful banter, demanding that she give him his "pin" back immediately.
"Give me my pin back," de Minaur wrote.
The Brit cheekily responded to his comment, suggesting that he message her first before expecting that pin back.
"@alexdeminaur stop pin hunting and reply to me for once," Boulter responded.
'Pin trading' is a celebrated pastime of many Olympians and has become a sport of its own in the last few years. Athletes trade "country-specific or sport-specific pins" with each other to connect with as many teams and athletes as possible. The practice dates back to 1896 as per reports.
De Minaur has been in sublime form this season. He enters the Olympic Games with a 36-12 match record and the two titles in 's-Hertogenbosch and Acapulco. He's also reached a career-high six in the men's rankings.
Boulter is also going through a breakthrough season on the WTA tour. She broke inside the world’s top 30 and won her first WTA 500 crown in San Diego earlier this year. She is 24-13 so far this year and has won the two titles so far this year.
Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter's Paris Olympics 2024 1R opponents
Fifth seed Alex de Minaur will take on Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff in a blockbuster first-round clash on Sunday, July 28 at the 2024 Paris Olympics. They've faced off 6 times in the past, with the Australian currently leading their head-to-head 4-2. He won their previous encounter 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 at the French Open earlier this year. Struff, however, has won their only other encounter on the red clay, sealing a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win at the 2023 Monte Carlo Masters. Struff heads into the Olympics on the back of a semifinal run at the Swiss Open. He's 26-15 for the season and has won the one title at the Bavarian International in Munich.
A tantalizing quarterfinal against French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz beckons the Australian should both players progress to that stage.
Katie Boulter, meanwhile, is slated to open her Olympics campaign against Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova on Saturday, July 27. Boulter and Schmiedlova split their head-to-head evenly with one win each. Schmiedlova reigned supreme in their previous encounter at the 2021 Monterrey Open in straight sets 6-4, 6-0.
Schmiedlova holds a 23-16 match record this season, with her best results being semifinal runs in Austin and Budapest.