Emotions catch up with championship hero after exit
BRITISH Wimbledon heroine Katie Boulter pointed to the emotional toll of her grandmother’s recent death after crashing out of the tournament in under an hour yesterday.
Two days on from thrilling the crowds on Centre Court with her second-round victory over last year’s runner up, the 25-year-old collapsed in straight sets against Harmony Tan, who beat Serena Williams.
Boulter, from Leicestershire, admitted afterwards that she was struggling emotionally in the aftermath of the death, saying of her third-round defeat: “I think I may have seen it coming.”
On Thursday, she inspired a wave of public support after revealing in her post-match on-court interview that she had lost her beloved grandmother, Sue Gartshore, on the second day of the championship.
Despite declaring herself to be as strong as she’d ever been in her career, she acknowledged the emotional toll of that news had caught up with her.
“I think I’m just a little bit emotionally drained,” she said: “Today was one step too far ... I’m mentally tapped out.”
As on Thursday, her 86-year-old grandfather, Brian Gartshore, was supporting her with her brother, James Gartshore Boulter, and her mother, Sue Boulter, a tennis coach.
Despite the public interest, Boulter’s third-round match was relegated to Court No 2, rather than one of the main show courts, and was scheduled for 11am.
However, the world No 118 would not say that she would have played better with a full Centre Court crowd behind her. She made 21 unforced errors compared to five from her opponent.
She also struggled with her serve, losing the match on a double fault.
Following Boulter’s second-round win, she acknowledged the support she was receiving from her boyfriend, the Australian player Alex De Minaur. Shortly after losing to Harmony Tan yesterday, De Minaur began playing on Court No 1, going on to triumph over Liam Broady, the second British player he has knocked out of Wimbledon this year after Jack Draper in the second round.
After the match, he paid tribute to his girlfriend. “Not many people know how strong she is, as a human being, as a character, how she’s been able to deal with a lot.”
Last Thursday, De Minaur posted a photograph on social media of the pair enjoying a rub down together.
Boulter’s grandmother was a regional tennis champion in her own right and is credited with helping nourish her love for the game, living close to the tennis club in Leicestershire where she played her first strokes.