WATSON IS OVER WATER TORTURE
HEATHER WATSON admits she felt ‘lost and in limbo’ after having to compete in low-level tournaments this year with no water or towels, and where you have to leave a deposit for the tennis balls. Now Watson, 25, has a chance of redemption at Wimbledon as the British wildcard faces Belgium’s world No 119 Maryna Zanevska in the first round today. ‘It was very different,’ said Watson. ‘Your feet get put back on the ground. One tournament there was no water. At these (bigger) tournaments you are used to just picking up your water bottles from the fridge, and a small thing like that makes such a difference. ‘Not having a towel, having to leave deposits for tennis balls and giving them back, it was difficult. ‘It was very tough but it motivated me because I don’t want to be playing at that level.’ Watson, who is world No 102, enjoyed several well-timed confidence boosts at Eastbourne last week, beating the world Nos 9, 17 and 23, before losing to Caroline Wozniacki in the semi-finals. Watson is aiming for another run in the tournament after almost stunning Serena Williams in the third round in 2015. ‘I just want to get to the later stages of tournaments,’ said Watson. ‘The last couple of months I’ve felt happier and I’m waiting for it all to come together.’ Meanwhile, Leicester City fan and British starlet Katie Boulter says she wants to become the Jamie Vardy of Wimbledon. Boulter is 500-1 to win Wimbledon, though she is hoping she can cause a few upsets like her football team famously did in 2016. ‘My whole family are big fans of Leicester,’ the 20-year-old said. ‘I would love to be the Vardy of Wimbledon.’ Boulter, ranked 238 in the world, begins her campaign tomorrow against world No 60 Christina McHale.