Katie Boulter is hoping to follow in the footsteps of both Emma Raducanu and Leicester City, after knocking out last year’s Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova in three sets.
A repeat of the match between the pair 10 days previously at Eastbourne ended in another win for the world No118, as she overpowered the former world No1 3-6, 7-6, 6-4.
And as one of four Brits into the third round of their home Grand Slam, Boulter said Raducanu’s unlikely US Open win and the Foxes’ similarly implausible Premier League title win in 2016 left her believing she could pull off her own sporting surprise.
On Raducanu’s fairytale New York win, Boulter said: “What she did was astonishing. I think everyone knows how incredible what she did was. It doesn’t come every single day. She came out, surprised everyone and played some fearless tennis. That’s what’s so impressive.
“I hope I can go out there and do the same thing. I’d love to do what she’s done. You never know, one day it might happen.”
Leicester lass Boulter is no stranger to seeing unlikely sporting triumphs, such as her football club’s title win seven years ago as 5,000-1 shots. Of her own odds of winning Wimbledon, she said: “What do the bookies say? I hope I can take a leaf out of their [Leicester’s] book. I’ve got a lot of support from the Foxes. They were something else that year. Maybe I can hopefully create that this year.”
Boulter’s first time into the third round of any Grand Slam proved an emotive one, the 25-year-old old revealing her grandmother, Jill, had died just two days previously, just ahead of her first-round match.
News of her grandmother’s passing was kept from her by her mother, Sue, and grandfather, Brian, both of whom were in the stands yesterday, until after that first-round match.
“It’s been a tough few days, for sure,” said Boulter. “As a general rule, I’ve tried to kind of get my emotions out and deal with the situation, try and keep my head on the tennis. I was lucky because my grandpa managed to come down from Leicester, and so we could keep him company and keep supporting him at the same time.”
Boulter is currently in the midst of arguably the best form of her tennis career, having seemingly combated the injury problems which had derailed her ambitions of living up to the promise she showed in the junior ranks.
She readily admitted she was lacking in patience but had been forced to learn to bide her time to get her chance on the biggest stage.
Comparing herself to Raducanu, whose big breakthrough came at the age of 18, Boulter said: “It’s a little bit different for me, where 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 the work in. It has started to pay off. I’ve got a lot more work to do and hopefully I can keep doing that. I feel like I’m the type of person that will come back stronger no matter what happens.”
Boulter’s boyfriend, Alex de Minaur, played his second-round match on the neighbouring No1 Court as he knocked out Britain’s Jack Draper 5-7, 7-6, 6-2, 6-3.
After his win, the Australian admitted he was boosted by Boulter’s victory amid her family tragedy.
“I think it’s amazing,” he said. “What she was able to do today was an amazing effort.
“Under all the circumstances, to go out there on Centre Court and beat last year’s runner-up, I think that’s pretty special.”
