It is remarkably easy to get carried away when following British players at Wimbledon. Perhaps it’s a bit of simple patriotism; maybe it’s the fact that, for many casual fans, this is the only time they see most British players all year.
Some players struggle with it, the expectations too much, the groan when they miss an easy shot so demoralising that their game goes to pot. Others, like Andy Murray, thrive, using the positive energy to produce their best when it matters most. It helps that Murray was, and still is, a world-class player, but many Britons rise to the occasion when the crowd is on their side.
Katie Boulter fits into the latter category, which is probably just as well because on Saturday she takes on the defending champion, Elena Rybakina, in the third round. The Kazakhstani player shot to fame last year when she marched to her first slam title and followed up by reaching the final of the Australian Open at the start of this year. She is seemingly unflappable, but a boisterous crowd might just test Rybakina’s patience.
“If you are in Rybakina’s shoes, you’re up against a British No 1 who is popular, who the British public is now familiar with, who will have the majority of the crowd supporting her, which is a situation I don’t think she has found herself in, really, anywhere around the world too often,” Anne Keothavong, Boulter’s Billie Jean King Cup captain, said. “Katie, she’s a big-match player, she will absolutely love it. It won’t be a daunting experience for her, which I think is a big thing. It’s not the first time for her going up on Centre Court so, having had that previous experience, that will help carry her.”
The pair have never played each other – according to Rybakina they have practised together once – and with all due respect to Boulter’s first two opponents, Daria Saville and Viktoriya Tomova, she represents a major step up in class. But, as Keothavong points out, Rybakina’s preparation was not ideal. She withdrew before her third-round match at the French Open due to a virus and was still not quite herself in Eastbourne, where she lost in the second round to Donna Vekic.
At the age of 26, and after re-establishing herself in the top 100 after a serious back injury kept her out for much of 2019, Boulter is into the third round for the second straight year and looks right at home on grass, where her aggressive, flat hitting gets rewarded that much more than on clay, or even hard courts. Having won her first WTA title in Nottingham a couple of weeks ago, she is buzzing with confidence but, in addition to the level of Rybakina, the magnitude of her task is perhaps best illustrated by the historic performances of British women at Wimbledon.
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Since tennis turned professional in 1968, only 20 British women have reached the fourth round or better at Wimbledon. Virginia Wade famously won the title in 1977, but only four – Johanna Konta, Laura Robson, Emma Raducanu and, most recently, last year, Heather Watson – have reached the last 16 this century.
“The biggest thing is she’s been able to remain fit and healthy for a long period of time which, for Katie, has always been a challenge,” Keothavong said. “It doesn’t get any easier against Rybakina. But Rybakina hasn’t really come into this year’s champs playing lots of tennis. I think this is a good time for Katie to play her, for anyone to play her .She has looked vulnerable at times.”
Boulter is also enjoying herself, which is showing in her tennis. Her relationship with Alex de Minaur, the Australian who beat Andy Murray on his way to the final at Queen’s, has thrilled the tabloids. The pair are playing mixed doubles together here, are happy to chat about each other and their positivity is infectious.
This is a chance for Boulter to show what she can do against a Wimbledon champion. On paper she has nothing to lose, but as she said after her second-round win, she’s ready. “It’s time for me to test my skills against an incredible champion.”
