Alex de Minaur's fiancée Katie Boulter can't get enough of her partner's new physique after the Australian tennis star has bulked up in recent years – and that's paying off on the court too.
Earlier in the week, the 25-year-old treated his followers to an image of himself with his biceps rippling in a sleeveless top accompanied by the caption “Preparation over… It's about time,” with other Aussie stars including Alexi Popyrin. and Matt Ebden giving it the thumbs up.
However, Boulter was having none of it, writing: “Stop trying to catch the thirst, you have a fiancé,” referring to slang for a social media post that aims to draw people to them.
And it's not just Boulter who has noticed the Australian's defined physique.
Fans of this year's Australian Open have posted about the muscle gain on De Minaur's body.
Last year, the world No.8 revealed that he had added about seven kilograms of muscle to his body in three years.
Alex de Minaur has added substantial muscle to his body in recent years.
The Australian's strength and conditioning program is also paying off on the court
'Every year is different. You look at the year as a whole. What do you want to work on, what do you want to improve on,” De Minaur said.
'This year we're trying to bulk up, gain a little more muscle… to get more strength and more speed on my serve and groundstrokes, all these things. It's all combined. I do not diversify my training in any way. I do everything every day.
'At the beginning of the preseason, (I spent) 2.5 to three hours in the gym, then two hours on the court. Basically, depending on the day, you may need to double up on some sessions.
'Normally… in the first week or two, you train a lot more and essentially get to the point where you don't want to wake up in the morning, because you don't want to deal with what's ahead of you. '
De Minaur's dedication to increasing his strength is now paying off on the court, with statistics showing vast improvements in his serve.
During the 2018 Australian Open, he averaged 167 kmph on his first serve and 147 kmph on his second.
During the recent United Cup, De Minaur averaged 204 km/h with his first serve and 167 km/h with his second.
The added muscle also helps him with his groundstrokes, and De Minaur explains that he can now hold his own with some of the best players on clay.
De Minaur (right) appears in the 2016 photo, when he was still completing his framing.
The World No. 8 (pictured in 2018) says his opponents no longer harass him on court now that he has added power to his game.
'Physically, I have gained a lot of muscle, a lot of strength. Because my tennis itself, my groundstrokes are probably not the most suitable for clay, I don't play with too many revolutions of the ball, that's where the strength comes in,” he told reporters during the 2024 French Open.
'It allows me to maintain a fairly strong average rally that helps me hurt my opponents and not let myself be pressured. “I think in the past, when I was a little bit lighter, I definitely felt like the bigger, stronger guys could really push me around and intimidate me on the court.”
Tennis great Mats Wilander was very impressed with the Australian's transformation
“It's incredible,” he told reporters in 2024.
'Actually, it's stronger too. You can see it in his legs. His legs are stronger every time I see him.
“You're talking about who is getting the most out of their game and it has to be said that Alex de Minaur is getting the most out of his game.
“I still think there is more because he is very fast and if he learns to be fast at the right time with the right ball (he can be even better).”
De Minaur got his Australian Open campaign off to an ideal start with a straight sets victory over Botic van de Zandschulp on Tuesday night.
If the 25-year-old reaches the Open quarter-finals for the first time, after falling in the fourth round in his last three visits, he is likely to upset world number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner.