I want to be world No 1 – but I’ve got lots of steps to take
EASTBOURNE — Katie Boulter has now topped the rankings in Britain and appeared on the front of Tatler magazine, but says she has even loftier goals than that: to become world No 1.
Boulter will complete her final preparations for Wimbledon this week in Eastbourne, where she is due to play Petra Martic in the first round on Tuesday.
Her maiden WTA title in Nottingham nine days ago propelled her back inside the top 100, cementing her position as British No 1 and climbing to a career-high No 77.
But she is nowhere near content. A grand slam title remains her “ultimate dream”.
“And to be number one in the world,” she told Tatler, the cover of which she adorns for the August edition, along with fellow British stars Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie.
Boulter is already 26 years old, but has suffered three different stress fractures along the way and acknowledges that she is something of a late bloomer because of it.
“If I’d mapped it out I would have planned [world No 1] five years ago, if I’m honest,” Boulter told reporters.
“Nothing comes without some ups and downs and of course I’m gonna keep striving for that but I’ve got a long way to go. I’ve got different steps I need to take.
“I’ve taken the first one these past couple of weeks and I’ve got many more I need to take before I get to that stage and I am very realistic with what I’m thinking at the same time.
“But by the end of the year, I’ve obviously got my own goals but I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. I think I’ve got a good opportunity to keep pushing on and I’m just going to keep doing my best.”
She added: “Nothing in life is taken for granted. Last year taught me a lot. I had a few things going on off the court, which most people probably wouldn’t even know about now.
“And that really changed my perspective. It changed everything that I thought about tennis and now my main goal is to go out and enjoy myself and to not forget that I’m still a little girl who just likes smiling on a tennis court. I’m going to keep doing that.”
The recency of Boulter’s surge into the top 100 means she still required a wildcard to get into the main draw of Wimbledon. In fact no British women earned their place in the draw by right, something many say is a reflection of the parlous state of British tennis.
But Boulter has flown the flag for the Brits this summer, especially in the absence of the injured Emma Raducanu, and says the likes of Jodie Burrage and Harriet Dart are doing so as well.
“If we didn’t have Emma then I don’t think that these girls would be pushing through and I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from her,” Boulter said.
“What she did was absolutely incredible and I don’t think it’ll ever be emulated again.
“It was quite the moment and she’s a very special girl. I tried to take a lot of a lot of inspiration and tried to do what she was doing.”
