Alex de Minaur’s fiancee Katie Boulter can’t get enough of her partner’s new physique after the Aussie tennis star bulked up over the last several years – and it’s also paying off on the court.
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 ‘Prep done…. Go time now’, with fellow Aussie stars like Alexi Popyrin and Matt Ebden giving it the thumbs-up.
However, Boulter was having none of it, writing, ‘Stop trying to thirst trap you have a fiancé,’ referring to the slang for a post on social media that’s intended to make people attracted to them.
And it’s not just Boulter who has noticed the Aussie’s ripped physique.
Fans at this year’s Australian Open have posted about the increase in muscle on De Minaur’s frame.
Last year, the World No.8 revealed he had added about seven kilograms of muscle to his body over three years.
Alex de Minaur has added substantial muscle to his frame over the last several years
The Aussie’s strength and conditioning program is paying off on the court too
‘Each year is different. You look at the year as a whole. What you want to work on, what you want to improve,’ de Minaur said.
‘This year we are trying to bulk up, put on a little more muscle … to get more strength and more speed on my serve and groundstrokes, all these things. It is all combined. I don’t diversify my training in any way. I do everything on every day.
‘At the start of pre-season, (I was spending) 2.5 to three hours in the gym, then two hours on the court afterwards. Essentially, depending on the day, you might double up on some sessions.
‘Normally … in week one or week two, you do a lot more training 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 is ahead of you.’
De Minaur’s dedication to increasing his strength is now reaping rewards on the court, with statistics proving big improvements to his serve.
During the 2018 Australian Open, he averaged 167kmph on his first serve and 147kmph on his second.
During the recent United Cup, De Minaur averaged 204km/h on his first serve and 167km/h on his second.
The added muscle also helps him with his ground strokes, with De Minaur explaining he can hold his own now with some of the best players on clay.
De Minaur (right) is pictured in 2016, when he was still filling out into his frame
The World No. 8 (pictured in 2018) says he’s no longer getting bullied around the court by his opponents now that he’s added power to his game
‘Physically, I’ve gained a lot of muscle, a lot of strength. Because my tennis itself, my groundstrokes are not probably best suited for clay, I don’t play with too many revolutions on the ball, that’s where the strength comes in,’ he told reporters during the 2024 French Open.
‘It allows me to maintain a pretty strong average rally ball that helps me hurt my opponents and not get pushed around. 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 bully me around the court.’
Tennis great Mats Wilander has been very impressed by the Aussie’s transformation
‘He’s unbelievable,’ he told press in 2024.
‘He’s actually stronger, too. You can see it on his legs. His legs are stronger every time I see him.
‘You’re talking about who are getting the most out of his game and you have to say that Alex de Minaur is getting the most out of his game.
‘I still think there’s more because he’s so fast and if he learns how to be fast at the right time on 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.
Should the 25-year-old make the Open quarter-finals for the first time, after falling in round four on his past three visits, he is likely to strike world No.1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .