Tennis has been engrained in the 27-year-old’s DNA for as long as she can remember. She recalls a childhood that placed the sport at the centre of her tender purpose, an infatuation that has only grown through the years as she has risen through the ranks from top ten ranked junior to currently residing as Britain’s highest ranked player. She has shared the court with savants of the sport Roger Federer and Serena Williams; hell, even her partner is a fellow player, Alex De Minaur, whom she has enjoyed success with in doubles tournaments.
With the tournament quickly approaching, Boulter has teamed up with legendary Scot and all-round nice bloke Andy Murray to share a limited edition Amex Zine. Entitled READY, the collaboration from the two Amex Tennis Ambassadors and the company leans into the renaissance of print media, and acts as a tell-all endeavour ahead of the tournament. The exclusive content within includes an overview off the tennis scoring system, a run-down of tennis lingo, and Boulter’s own pre-match routine and rituals.
We had the chance to catch up with the revered sports-person ahead of Wimbledon kicking off, talking her tennis origins, inspirations, her style of play, and her hopes for the competition.
Read the exclusive interview…
Talk me through how you first began playing tennis?
I started playing tennis when I was four or five years old. I, I think I got into the sport mainly because my family were thoroughly into it, and they absolutely loved having me play different sports and do different things. I instantly took to tennis. I was always competitive with my family, and I just couldn’t help myself but compete on everything, even if it was like balloon tennis at the age of five. I think I’ve always had that fighting spirit in me, and it’s just kind of evolved, and now I’m sat here at Wimbledon talking to you about tennis and my passion and a love of my life, really.
Is that surreal for you, to have achieve what you’ve achieved?
Yeah it’s one of those pinch me moment. I’m lucky enough to be [at Wimbledon] most of the year round, and every time I come here, I don’t feel like it’s real. It’s such a special place, everything’s so perfect. I can’t imagine another place like it, and I’ve never found one on tour. Obviously it just makes it even better because I’m quintessentially British.
What is it about Wimbledon that’s special?
I just think the history of it. We’ve watched so many generations play on this incredible court. It’s a natural surface and it’s very unique, you really don’t see that often. It’s also how tennis started. It’s got this magical feeling to it when you walk around, and it feels very traditional. I absolutely love it. It’s something I grew up on and I did so with my family, so all my memories are really, really good.
Who was and in an inspiration to you in and out of tennis?
Someone who actually really inspired me when I was growing up was Jessica Ennis. She was just absolutely incredible and made me want to get into sport. I actually got the chance to meet her recently. She super randomly came up to me and says, ‘Hey, I’m Jess Ennis. I’m a huge fan of tennis,’ and for me the penny dropped at that moment. I was like, ‘wow, I’ve come a long way from watching her on the television to this specific moment.’ Within tennis, I could list a hundred people, but I would be stupid not to say Andy Murray. I think everyone’s on this journey with him, and he’s someone who I’ve watched play a lot here at this place., On the female side, I would say Serena Williams. You know, she is iconic and is always going to be the GOAT, She’s always going to be the person that I have a lot of admiration for. What she did over the many years that she’s played, and how she holds herself as well, is inspirational.
At what point did you realise that you had the trajectory to become a professional in your sport?
I think it’s a combination of things. A lot of the people talk around you, so I’d say the experts in tennis talking about your potential and what they think you could do. I think, bit by bit, I showed myself that I could stay in this sport. I was a top 10 junior from a young age, so for me, that showed me the path that I wanted to. Obviously, juniors is very different to the WTA tour, but I think that was definitely a part of it. It was definitely a moment when I reached top 10 that I though that I could definitely do well in this sport. Also, the more wins you get against people that you have high rankings. One of my biggest wins was against a top 10 player, Plíšková, here on Centre Court at Wimbledon. Something like that, I think really consolidates what your thoughts are. Because you never know, really, until you actually do it. But that one, definitely put a little nail in the coffin to make me realise that, you know, I can play some very good tennis.
You need to have the proof for yourself that you can do it, to believe in yourself fully.
Yeah, absolutely. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, you’ve got so much potential, you’re so good, you’ve got big weapons, you can play so well, physically you’re great.’ But unless you put the work in, you’re not going to get to that point. For me, a lot of it was trying to blank out the noise and focus on myself and keep improving as a person and a player every day.
How would you describe your style of play? What kind of tennis player are you?
I would say I’m an unapologetically aggressive player. I like to be fearless, I like to go after my shots. It means that I’m going to take risks. I might miss a couple. I might lose a couple of tennis matches, but I also think I’m going to win a lot of tennis matches that way.
The pressure put on young sports people is frightening. How do you deal with that, compartmentalise it and overcome it?
As Billie Jean King said, pressure is a privilege. For me to be in this position right now and feeling the things that I do, I don’t take that for granted. I absolutely love those feelings. I want to get better and I think it helps you grow as a person. It’s about learning how to deal with those situations and handling them the best that I possibly can. But, yeah, I think we’re very privileged to be in the position that we are and I’m just grateful to be in it.
Say you lose a game you thought you’d win or you aren’t playing as well as you want to, is there doubt? And then how do you overcome that?
Doubt is something that can definitely harm a player. I think it’s really important to keep pushing your confidence box in the right direction. The little things that you do, subconsciously, they make a massive difference. And if you know you’re putting the work in, then ultimately, you’re going to be going in the right direction. If you put the work in, you get what you want out of it.
How are you feeling about Wimbledon and your chances at this year’s tournament?
I’m looking forward to it. I’m coming in a slightly different position than before. My ranking’s a lot higher than it ever has been. So for me, it’s a great position to be in. I’m coming in swinging and I don’t really feel much pressure. It’s something I look forward to every single year – it is the highlight of why I play tennis, to come out here and be in this position and just to get involved in the whole of Wimbledon. The experience, the feeling of Wimbledon is important to me. I was down here playing in the kids area when I was very, very young and I just loved it. I love the feeling of it. Getting the chance to be back here in a totally different situation, I’m still loving it and I’m going to hopefully put on a good show. I’m going to do my best, that’s all I can do.
As you said, it’s the highest you’ve been ranked at No. 27. Do you feel like you’re in the best form of your life?
I ultimately do. I think I’ve been playing some of the best tennis over the last six months that I ever have. I’m building as a player, I’m getting stronger and I feel like I’m making leaps and bounds. It’s not always a straight line, it’s very easy to get caught up in the moment and take things for granted. But it’s something that I put the work in day in, day out, and hopefully the result will be what I want, but if not, then I grow and I’ll learn and get better. I think it’s important to be very realistic and remind myself of that.
Congratulations on the new zine! How are you feeling about that?
I’m really looking forward to being a part of that, obviously it’s very new for me and I think it’s just something very exciting. It’s nice to get people involved and and to be part of tennis and I try and do that as much. It’s exciting for fans to be able to get to know people a little bit more, especially myself and Andy [Murray] and for people to be a part of of something.
Who is the best tennis player you’ve ever played against?
I’ve played against two very good tennis players – one was Serena Williams and the other one was Roger Federer. I actually got the chance to play against him in mixed doubles which I can’t say many people have done as a female so i think that was pretty epic. I played them in the same week and that was definitely one of the best weeks of my career.
Do you prefer singles or doubles?
I do prefer singles. I like to take accountability for absolutely everything but I also do love sharing the court with someone, sharing that experience with them. It’s a very different feeling but ultimately I do love singles and being that person that takes full credit but also takes takes the losses to myself.
Who is your dream doubles partner?
My dream doubles partner is Alex [her boyfriend and fellow tennis star]. He’s so good for me, such a positive influence on and off the court so it’s actually really great to to have him by my side on the tennis court.
What would you say are common misconceptions about the world of tennis?
I think a lot of people think that we just travel the world and play tennis once in a while. A lot of people don’t realise that we travel 40 weeks of the year and that there are about 30 tournaments that we play every single year, not just probably five or six.
What advice would you give to aspiring sports people?
I got told this when I was super young: excellence is perseverance in disguise. I think that everything doesn’t always happen straight away and that you have to work on these things. There’s always going to be exceptions to rules but ultimately it’s about using the tough moments and pushing through them and waiting for the best moments. They always come, it’s just a matter of time.
Amex Tennis Ambassador, Katie Boulter, has collaborated with Amex to inspire a limited-edition zine to help fans feel ready for The Championships this year. To find out more, visit here.
