Alex de Minaur says what his relationship with Gael Monfils is actually like after beating him in the UTS Tour semi-final

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Alex de Minaur was forced to overcome friend and competitor Gael Monfils on his way to UTS Tour success on Sunday.

De Minaur won $421,800 for his UTS Tour final win, with the Australian having beaten Holger Rune in the London final.

Group stage victories were secured over Rune, Jan-Lennard Struff and Alexander Bublik, with De Minaur then beating Monfils in the semi-final.

The world number nine, who won two ATP titles in 2024, overcame the Frenchman three quarters to one in the Patrick Mouratoglou tournament.

Rune also beat a Frenchman in Ugo Humbert in his semi-final, but fell short against De Minaur, losing the final 3-0.

What Alex de Minaur’s relationship with Gael Monfils is like

Revenge was on the agenda for the Australian, with De Minaur having lost the UTS Oslo final to Andrey Rublev earlier this year.

Speaking after his semi-final win over Monfils in London, the former was full of praise for the Frenchman, saying on court: “Yeah, look, it was always going to be very physical. Gael is one of the best movers in the whole tennis world, he has been for the last 15 to 20 years.

READ MORE: Gael Monfils makes massive claim about Nick Kyrgios ahead of his return to tennis at the Australian Open

“He’s an exceptional person as well, and human being, he’s definitely one of those guys that I call my friends on tour. So I’d like to thank him for everything he does, day in and day out.”

Katie Boulter full of praise for Alex de Minaur

De Minaur does, of course, have another strong relationship with a fellow professional, with the Australian currently together with British number one Katie Boulter.

Boulter says De Minaur has helped her career, and vice versa, with the duo potentially intriguingly facing off on the court in the near future.

The former is representing Great Britain in the United Cup, with the latter representing Australia, and the two nations have been drawn in the same group.

READ MORE: Alex de Minaur states what is now ‘obvious’ about Andy Murray after he agrees to become Novak Djokovic’s coach

Monfils meanwhile can be proud of his efforts in London, having emerged from a tough group involving Humbert, Rublev and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Boulter and De Minaur will be joined by the likes of Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz at the 2025 United Cup, with WTA stars Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek also set to take part.