Katie Boulter urges Londoners to 'get out there and cheer' for British tennis players at Wimbledon
Wimbledon 2023 - Day Two - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Katie Boulter has urged Londoners to “get out there and cheer as loudly as they can” for British tennis players at Wimbledon.
The British number one’s rallying cry came as she revealed the personal lucky charm given to her by grandfather Brian — her “biggest supporter” — which she says will be helping her through the Championships.
“I have a glass ‘piece of luck’ which my grandpa gave me when I was super young,” the 27-year-old told the Standard.
“A little piece of glass with ‘a little piece of luck’ written on it. It’s something that I’ve always kept with me. I always feel his presence when he’s not with me.”
Boulter, who is seeded 32nd, starts on Tuesday against German veteran Tatjana Maria, who reached the semi-finals in 2022.
However, British hopes suffered a blow today when Sir Andy Murray announced he was pulling out of the men’s singles.
At practice on Monday, Boulter showed off a set of Wimbledon-themed nails — some featuring strawberries and others in the All England Club’s colours.
As she takes to the courts her grandfather, a former mechanical engineer credited with inventing anti-theft tags for clothing, will be in the stands.
His late wife Jill, a regional tennis champion, died during Boulter’s Wimbledon appearance in 2022. Days later, the star dedicated her second-round win to her, amid tears from the crowd.
“My grandpa’s never missed one of my Wimbledons so he definitely will be there next week,” she said.
Emma Raducanu, Lily Miyazaki and Sonay Kartal were the British stars in action on Monday who made it to the second round, with Boulter saying home support could have a big effect.
“It makes such a difference having people out there who support you, so if you’re British, get out there and enjoy Wimbledon and get behind the British players as much as possible and cheer as loudly as they can.”
Boulter has reached the third round of Wimbledon for the past two years, but there are hopes she could have a deeper run this time, on the back of career-high world rankings.
“I’m going to go out there and do my best, regardless,” she said.
“Obviously, I’m coming in in a slightly different situation. I’m not ranked 150 — I’m around 30 in the rankings. But we take one round at a time, and we focus on getting the job done each day.”
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