Katie Boulter and Alex de Minaur tied the knot on July 12 in the British player’s hometown of Leicestershire in an intimate ceremony. The fan-favorite couple chose to keep their special day out of the media spotlight, mostly so Boulter’s grandfather, Brian, could be part of the celebrations. A week after the nuptials were over, Boulter looked back on the special occasion, penning an emotional message.

Before the wedding, Katie had hoped her grandfather would walk her down the aisle to de Minaur. Her grandfather had been living with dementia and receiving care, and there were real concerns about whether he would be well enough to attend. On the morning of the ceremony, he woke and announced to the staff that it was “wedding day.”

Later, Boulter told Vogue Magazine, “That literally made me cry my eyes out.”

Although he was unable to walk her down the aisle, he still made it to Woodhouse Church. Boulter’s mother accompanied her to the altar, where her grandfather was waiting to give her away.

Knowing Boulter’s special bond with her grandfather, the families decided on a low-profile ceremony in a rural area, where the paparazzi could not reach. However, the happy couple did have a second ceremony in Tuscany, a high-profile event held at Borgo Santo Pietro, which was covered by Vogue magazine.

The second ceremony had a larger guest list with the festivities going on for multiple days, which had rehearsal dinners, pool parties, and another ceremony where the couple took their vows, with Boulter wearing a white gown made by Caroline Castigliano and De Minaur sporting a Ralph Lauren tuxedo.

The Boulter-De Minaur wedding was one of many in the tennis world in July, as players took advantage of the slight downtime on the hectic calendar to get the celebrations done, as the North American hard-court swing is set to start later this month. Among other ATP pros, Tommy Paul tied the knot with Paige Lorenze in New York, whereas WTA players Liumdila Samsonova and Asia Muhammad also married their respective partners in contrasting ceremonies.

For De Minaur and Boulter, the wedding could not have come at a better time, as both were quite shaken by their early Wimbledon exits, with the home favorite going out in the first round against Tyra Grant, whereas De Minaur gave a rather tame performance against Flavio Cobolli in the R16.

However, it was the happy couple’s individual press conferences after the losses that turned heads, with Boulter being in tears, and De Minaur making the honest admission of being farther away from the top level of the ATP despite being World No. 5.

However, one hopes that the happy times of getting married will provide both of them with the required mental reset before they head back onto the courts once again.