Katie Boulter insists her focus remains solely on tennis and not newfound attention as she gears up for her latest Wimbledon campaign.
The 26-year-old arrives at SW19 as the British No.1 following an impressive summer which has seen her reach the last four of the LTA’s Lexus Surbiton Trophy before claiming an emotional first WTA Tour title at the LTA’s Rothesay Open Nottingham.
Those results have increased the expectation surrounding the Leicester star but as she gears up for a first round match against Australia’s Daria Saville, Boulter is not letting anything take her focus away from the challenge at hand.
“I feel like there’s a lot of people behind me at the moment,” said Boulter, who is a graduate of the LTA’s Pro Scholarship Programme.
“That’s the biggest difference that I’ve felt recently. I’m just going to keep my head down and my team are going to be doing exactly the same thing we’ve been doing for months on end.
“It’s nice to feel like people appreciate you, but at the same time it’s about the tennis and I’ve got a lot of work to do.
“I’m here feeling very privileged. I’ve got to get my job down and keep myself grounded, working as hard as I can. I don’t think anything changes for me.
“I wouldn’t say anything’s changed. I’m just doing what I need to do and that is my practice, my gym and my treatment. I don’t really feel like I spend much time out of the house or out of the practice courts.
“It’s nice to feel like the fans are behind me and I do really appreciate that. I love to have that feeling when you go out and the crowd is roaring.
“I definitely appreciate it more than anything else on this planet. Hopefully I can use that and people get behind me.”
Boulter has been handed a tantalising draw at her home Grand Slam, with third seed and defending champion Elena Rybakina potentially lying in wait in the third round.
Though she would be the underdog for that encounter, the Leicester star is no stranger to causing a Centre Court shock, stunning 2021 finalist Karolina Pliskova a year ago – a result which continues to give her belief.
She added: “Last year, the biggest thing for me was getting over the line against Pliskova.
“That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do and I’ve taken a lot of confidence from serving out that match. It’s something I will be using on the court out there.
“Whatever happens, I will be fighting and I’m always going to put my heart on the line. I’m going to be using that a lot.”
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