THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 28, 2021

Katie Boulter

Press Conference

K. BOULTER/D. Lao

6-7, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Well played. Describe your feelings after that. That's the second time I think you've gotten to the second round, yeah?

KATIE BOULTER: Yes. I definitely -- obviously having been absent for a couple years, it really means so much. Ultimately it wasn't pretty out there. I knew it wasn't going to be. But I fought so hard, found a way. I feel like that's what tennis is really about.

Q. Is it right your mum and granddad was out in the crowd? How good was it to have your family and fans back to watch you in a special match?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, it was amazing to have them there. I always feel like I get some wins when they seem to be by my court side. It definitely feels pretty special to be back home, actually in front of a British crowd as well. It really does make a difference for sure. I saw some GB flags out there, which made me smile for sure.

To have my family out there, it means everything to me. It really helped me get over the line today.

Q. There were a couple of fairly sort of dodgy calls out there. You kept your concentration well. Is that fair to say?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, actually I really felt like everything was going against me today. I mean, there was one point where she did a double bounce and he didn't see it. There were a couple calls which I ended up challenging and happened to be right four times.

It was super difficult to stay mentally strong. That is also why I'm so proud of myself because I kept my head down and I got the job done. Ultimately that's what I'm here for.

Q. You mentioned already, you alluded to it, after what you've been through, how satisfying is it to win this kind of match?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, it really is. I worked so hard behind the scenes, which most of you don't see. So hard every single day. I've been through some really tough moments. I found a way through them because I've had some amazing people around me. Ultimately those wins that are in your home court, it means so much, really does.

Yeah, I think I did a great job today at finding a way. Yeah, ultimately I've got nothing else to say but I'm happy.

Q. How tough was it to sort of dress yourself down after that roller coaster first set? How did you put that behind you and focus?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, I think the first set was pretty tough. Ultimately by the scoreline it shows that. But I was also quite nervous. Before the match I didn't really have those feelings. As I stepped onto the court, I felt the crowd again, it kind of came back to me a little bit.

I thought I did a good job to get back into it, having been 5-2 down. I'm a little bit disappointed I didn't get the first set, considering the momentum that I had coming back from 5-2.

I'm a fighter. I'm not going to go anywhere. I felt like I loosened up a little bit in the second set and played some good tennis. Yeah, I mean, I found a way again. That's all that matters.

Q. How is the elbow feeling? Quite heavily strapped. You have ice on it now.

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, at the moment it feels great. Ultimately I'm managing it this tournament. Yeah, I mean, it's just part of tennis, isn't it? I expect to have a little niggle here and there. It didn't hinder me in any way. It seems to be feeling pretty good right now. Quite numb actually right now (smiling).

Q. Sabalenka next. That could be on one of the show courts. What do you think your chances are of causing an upset in that one?

KATIE BOULTER: I mean, I'm super excited to get out there already. I played her before. I know what to expect. I know she's a power player. It's going to be really difficult. She's ranked what she is for a reason.

Ultimately all I'm going to do is go out there, enjoy myself, put my game on the line, see what I can do. I've got absolutely nothing to lose. I think it's going to be a really good match.

Q. You talked a little bit about some of those decisions. How important do you think it was having the Hawk-Eye and the ability to challenge on all of the outside courts this year?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, actually I had completely forgotten that I had Hawk-Eye. It was only when she challenged that I realized it was there. I must have missed it when he was explaining it to me before.

Yeah, I mean, it made a huge difference. Ultimately, look, today it went my way. Maybe another day I probably wouldn't see the ball, it may have been out. Today it was four for four, they were big points. It definitely did make a difference and I'm glad we had it today.

Q. Back on Sabalenka. You mentioned you played her before. How did you get on in those matches? What do you think you can learn from them?

KATIE BOULTER: I've played her once before in Australian Open a couple years ago. That was second round of the Australian Open as well. I lost in two sets. I think it was like one break of serve in each one. I actually thought it was a really good match.

But, yeah, I mean, I'm going to have to serve well, I know that. I'm going to have a swing on her service games. I've got nothing to lose and I'm just going to enjoy the moment.