Minutes after beating Jack Draper to reach the third round at Wimbledon, Alex de Minaur was asked on court to discuss how delighted he must have been with his performance.
“Before we talk about my match, can we just talk about Katie Boulter today?” he responded.
“She had a pretty good win herself.”
Indeed, earlier on Thursday, De Minaur’s girlfriend Boulter had stunned Karolina Pliskova, beating last year’s finalist in three sets on Centre Court.
That result sent her through to the third round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, where she will face the similarly untested Harmony Tan for a place in the last 16.
Tan earlier in the week ended the comeback of the great Serena Williams.
RELATED: After Wimbledon loss, Serena hints she's not done
Boulter has endured physical struggles in previous years; shortly after cracking the top 100 she was forced off tour for more than six months in 2019 with a stress fracture in her back.
A foot injury then emerged this year, meaning she did not compete between Indian Wells and the grass-court season – another three months off court.
And she was dealt another heavy blow when, following her first-round win at Wimbledon, she learned her grandmother had passed away.
"My gran passed away two days ago. I'd just like to dedicate that to her."
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 30, 2022
That win meant a lot.@katiecboulter ??#BBCTennis #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/VApZdhXg6L
“I think every time you lose a tennis match or every time something happens in your life, you do get a little bit of a reality check,” said Boulter, who dedicated her victory over former world No.1 Pliskova to her grandmother.
“I feel like I'm the type of person that will come back stronger no matter what happens.
“I'm lucky to have such a great support around me, and that does make a huge, huge difference. I've got great people, great boyfriend, just a great team who push me every single day.
“Without that network, I'm not sure where I would be.”
Following her recovery and press commitments, Boulter then headed to No.1 Court to watch De Minaur, Australia’s No.1 player whom she began dating two-and-a-half years ago.
De Minaur emulated her success, elevating his level against Draper to eventually complete a 5-7 7-6(0) 6-2 6-3 win.
Like Boulter, De Minaur has a winnable next match; he faces 132nd-ranked wildcard Liam Broady for a shot at his first appearance in Wimbledon’s second week.
He acknowledged he had enjoyed a boost thanks to Boulter’s triumph earlier on Thursday.
“What she was able to do today was an amazing effort,” said De Minaur, enjoying his best Wimbledon campaign in four years.
“Under all the circumstances, she got out there on Centre Court, and (has) beaten last year's runner-up. So I think that's pretty special.
“I'm just stoked for her. For me, more than anything, I just loved to see her back. I think this is back where she belongs. And, you know, in no time she will be even higher than ever. I think she's got an incredible level, and she's been showing it all this grass season.
“I'm very proud of her.”
Since returning to the tour in the first week of June, Boulter has won nine of 12 grass-court matches and risen to world No.118 – not far off her career-high mark of 82nd, set in February 2019.
This was her second straight win over Pliskova, after beating the clean-hitting Czech to reach the last 16 in Eastbourne.
While it could be tempting to look beyond the similarly-ranked Tan to a place in Wimbledon’s second week, Boulter is simply thrilled to be back competing and is enjoying every moment at the All England Club – including her first ever win on Centre Court.
EXPERT PICKS: Who will win Wimbledon in 2022?
“I actually watched her match against Serena. She makes it very difficult. There's a reason she's beaten some really good players this week,” Boulter said of Tan.
“I have had to kind of build momentum and build some strength physically. It's a huge part of my game. I finally have been able to put that work in. It's started to pay off. I've got a lot more work to do.
“I'm going to take one step at a time, of course. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. I knew I've put the work in to win some rounds here.
“I just hope I can keep the momentum going.”
Momentum has also characterised De Minaur’s Wimbledon run.
Like his girlfriend, he enjoyed a solid build-up on grass – including a semifinal showing at Eastbourne – and is adopting a similar step-by-step approach to success at SW19.
“I have had a couple of tough matches that kind of haven't gone my way. So this is a great win for general morale, a boost that I think I needed,” De Minaur said after beating Draper.
“Basically you've just got to hang in there as much as you can, stay tough. If you can get yourself to a second week anything can happen.
“So that's what I've been trying to do. So just a step closer today.”
De Minaur and Boulter will both play their third-round matches on Saturday.