Is Katie Boulter the real deal? The British No 1 is ready to embrace the Wimbledon spotlight when she opens her campaign against German Tatjana Maria today.
The 27-year-old goes into the tournament as the leading home hope for success in the women’s draw having maintained her upward trajectory for more than a year.
Boulter made a big breakthrough by winning her first WTA Tour title in Nottingham last June and has followed that up with a bigger crown in San Diego and then a successful defence of the tournament that takes place only a few miles from her home in Leicestershire.
She is seeded for the first time at Wimbledon as the world No 32 and is a clear British No 1.
Boulter has reached the third round at Wimbledon the last two years, but her hopes of going further this time have certainly been helped by being seeded.
Last year, she needed a wild card just to get into the main draw, which shows the speed of her rise.
“It feels really good,” she said. “It’s been a goal of mine to be in Wimbledon, seeded, with my team for a long time. Naturally I want to be playing these tournaments on my own ranking, I don’t want to be taking wild cards if I can help it.
“Also being seeded, it’s a moment for me to show the dedication I’ve put in these last few years. I think that’s a little pat on the back for me. I feel very proud to have that number, I’m striving for more but I’m happy at the moment with where I’m at.”
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Katie Boulter and Alex de Minaur head to the park to discuss the early stages of their relationship and how life has changed in the past year
First up Boulter faces Maria, a mother of two who had a surprise run to the semi-finals two years ago.
Boulter has no plans yet to follow in Maria’s footsteps, but said: “I have huge respect for what she’s done.
“I see her kids around a lot in the players’ lounge, they’re super cute, they’re proper into tennis, which is really nice to see as well. The fact that she can come back and be so resilient, I think that’s so impressive, and just her love for the game.
“What she’s done, I can draw on that. I’m not entirely sure if I’m going to have kids and come back, I really don’t know, I think that’s a very personal decision and a decision I’ll make later on in life.”
Sky Sports’ Robson on Boulter’s hopes
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Boulter reveals which five guests she would invite to a dinner party. Listen to the full episode here on the Sky Sports Tennis podcast
“The difference in the last 12 months is crazy. Breaking into the top 100 last year when she won Nottingham and being seeded now is a huge jump and she’s buzzing,” said Laura Robson, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2013.
“It’s all this hard work she has put in in the past which has got her to this point. She’s worked so hard on her mentality and her physical performance, and has improved just about everything in that game, so deserves to be seeded and have that reward.
“She was hoping other people didn’t do well in tournaments because she’s the last seeded at No 32 and it’s fingers crossed she would make it, but she did make it and it’s a nice bonus.”
Ann Jones (1969) and Virginia Wade (1977) are the only two players from Britain to reach the women’s singles final at Wimbledon.
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