Newly-married British tennis star Katie Boulter has revealed she will not be following Andy Murray’s infamous habit of tying her wedding ring to her shoelaces as she prepares for the final Grand Slam of the season at Flushing Meadows. The 30-year-old, who recently tied the knot with Australian world number seven Alex de Minaur, is looking to establish her footprint at the 2026 US Open while learning from the logistical mishaps of British tennis royalty.
Learning from Andy Murray’s Mishap
Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, who married his wife Kim in 2015, famously lost his wedding band during a tournament in California in 2021. Murray had tied the ring to his shoelaces—a long-standing habit of his during matches—and left his trainers under a car overnight to dry out. When the shoes went missing, so did the ring, prompting a frantic social media appeal before both were eventually recovered.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Boulter made it clear she has no intention of replicating that high-stakes gamble. “I learned from Andy. I’m not going to do that,” the world number 60 stated firmly. “I don’t wear it. Not during matches.”
A Summer of Celebrations and On-Court Adjustments
Boulter and De Minaur celebrated their marriage twice this summer. They first held an intimate, private ceremony in the United Kingdom with just eight guests, organized primarily so Boulter’s grandfather could attend. This was followed by a larger, festive celebration with friends and peers in Tuscany, Italy, in July.
Reflecting on the celebrations, Boulter admitted she was initially skeptical about De Minaur’s preparation for his wedding speech. “I hadn’t seen him do any preparation for the speech at all,” she shared. “And he was like, ‘I’m just going to wing it. It’s fine. How hard can it be?’ But he was amazing. He was so good. I think I permanently cried for like three hours straight during all the speeches.”
Since the festivities, Boulter has thrown herself directly back into intense hard-court preparation. Choosing to adapt to the grueling North American summer conditions immediately rather than taking an extended break, she faced early exits in Washington and Toronto, followed by a second-round defeat in Cincinnati.
“I actually just chose to go straight back into the conditions, go into the deep end and see what we’ve got,” Boulter explained, noting that the humidity and courts in the United States are exceptionally difficult to replicate elsewhere. “So I felt like I’d be a little underprepared coming to the US and just getting used to the conditions again would have been quite difficult.”
Boulter’s US Open campaign begins with a first-round match against American wildcard Carol Young Suh Lee, currently ranked 143rd in the world.
A Historic Qualifying Campaign for British Tennis
Beyond Boulter’s individual campaign, British tennis is celebrating a historic milestone in New York. A record four British players successfully navigated the qualifying rounds to secure their spots in the main draw. This marks the first time since the 1988 Australian Open that four British players have progressed from qualifying at an overseas Grand Slam.
Fran Jones, Harriet Dart, and Harry Wendelken all secured their spots with hard-fought victories on Friday, while Toby Samuel advanced on Thursday after Chile’s Cristian Garin retired during a prolonged rain delay. Jacob Fearnley, who suffered a narrow defeat to Austria’s Jurij Rodionov in a rain-disrupted match, also earned entry into the main draw as a lucky loser.
These five qualifiers join a strong main-draw British contingent that already includes Arthur Fery, Cameron Norrie, Jan Choinski, and Boulter herself.
Among the standout qualifying performances, Wendelken fought back to defeat Lithuania’s Vilius Gaubas in a dramatic three-set thriller, winning 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (10-5) to earn his debut at an overseas Major. He will face Italian 22nd seed Luciano Darderi. Meanwhile, Harriet Dart staged a remarkable comeback from a set and a break down to defeat compatriot Heather Watson 2-6 6-4 6-1, setting up a first-round clash against American Peyton Stearns.