BBC blanks Boulter as British talent misses out on Centre Court
The BBC did not pick Katie Boulter as one of its main show court selections at Wimbledon yesterday, contributing to the controversial decision to exclude British players from Centre Court.
It is understood the corporation, whose requests are routinely put to the Wimbledon committee, did not argue for Boulter, which meant that no British players went in front of national sporting legends watching from the Royal Box.
Boulter started out on Court No2 at 11am despite having captured the hearts of Wimbledon fans with her emotional second- round victory on Centre Court.
The 25-year-old was duly demolished 6-1, 6-1 by France’s Harmony Tan, who had beaten Serena Williams earlier in the tournament and admitted that she was relieved to discover the All England Club’s scheduling.
“When you play a Brit on Centre Court, I think there are a lot of people for her,” Tan said. “I like to play on a small court. I like to play first match also, you know, because I don’t wait all the day.”
BBC2 began coverage at 11am and further compounded frustrations over Boulter’s scheduling by only joining the match once Tan had already established a first-set lead.
As well as broadcaster requests, Wimbledon organisers factor in the potential competitiveness of a match in their scheduling judgments and could feel vindicated by Tan’s one-sided 51-minute victory.
The scheduling of Nick Kyrgios’s match against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Court No 1, rather than Centre Court, also came as a surprise.
Boulter’s boyfriend Alex de Minaur, who had earlier cruised 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 to victory against Britain’s Liam Broady on the same court, said “of course” he would have given up his prime spot on No1 for her.
“She’s a Brit, so I’m sure she would have loved to play on Court No1 or on Centre and get as much support as she could,” said the 23-year-old Australian. “But it’s not in my hands.”
Boulter herself had no complaints.
“You’re supposed to put the best matches there are out there on Centre Court and on Court No 1,” she said. “We’ve got Iga [Swiatek, the world No1] who is out there. I would never expect to be put ahead of players like that. It’s a privilege to play on those courts.
“Ultimately I’m a tennis player. I really have no idea where I’m going to be scheduled. I just have to react to what I’m given. It’s a privilege to play on these grounds, let alone on the biggest courts.
“But, yes, it’s great to be back with your home crowd. I would always like to be in the biggest arena that I could possibly be in. Unfortunately, that wasn’t today.”
Boulter and Broady’s defeats leave Cameron Norrie and Heather Watson as the last British players standing in the singles competition.
Both are scheduled to play today. British No 1 Norrie faces American Tommy Paul, while Watson will take on Jule Niemeier of Germany.
Tom Daley, the Olympic diving champion, Gareth Southgate, the England football manager, and the Paralympian
Kadeena Cox were among those watching from the Royal Box yesterday.
Vogue editor-in-chief Dame Anna Wintour, a friend of Serena and Venus Williams, was also in the stands.
Meanwhile, recent British success stories, from Emma Raducanu to Norrie, have sparked a national boom in recreational tennis.
Since Raducanu’s whirlwind win at the US Open in New York last year, there has been a 10 per cent increase in people aged 16 to 34 taking to their local courts, according to the Lawn Tennis Association.
More women are also enjoying the game, with the number playing at least once a year having increased by 11 per cent in the 12 months to May 2022.