BOULT FROM THE BLUE
Leicester lass Katie partied with 2016 title heroes so she knows that miracles DO happen
RISING British star Katie Boulter believes in sporting miracles after being part of Leicester City’s Premier League title celebrations.
Brit No.4 Boulter has been given a wild card into the main draw at SW19, where she faces Veronica Cepede Royg of Paraguay today.
It is a fitting reward for her huge recent progress which has seen her climb into the world’s top 150.
Now the 21-year-old from Leicester, 500-1 with bookies to lift the Wimbledon crown, wants to create shockwaves, just like her local team did when winning the Premier League against all the odds in 2016.
The Foxes were 5,000-1 title outsiders and Boulter was part of their wild celebrations as nearly 250,000 fans turned out for the parade and party.
Boulter said: “It was heart-warming to see how well Leicester did. I went down for the celebration afterwards and it was just magical.
“It was very special and shows that in sport you don’t know what is going to happen next.”
Boulter secured the biggest win of her career earlier this month when she beat 2011 US Open champion Sam Stosur in Nottingham.
She eventually fell to top seed and ultimate tournament winner Ashleigh Barty of Australia in the quarter-finals.
Boulter has since played at Edgbaston and reached the final of the Southsea Trophy.
The experience means she is better prepared for the SW19 main draw this year than 12 months ago when she went down to America’s Christina McHale on her debut.
“I am going out there this year with a lot more confidence behind me and feeling a bit more comfortable than a year ago,” she said. “I am looking forward to it.
“Last year was really enjoyable for me but it was completely different, it was something I wasn’t used to at all.
“I feel like now I have played on the big stage more and will be ready to play, ready to focus on trying to win.
“It is great to get WTA wins. I am just starting out and have a long way to go but it definitely gives me a boost.”