THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 5, 2023

Katie Boulter

Press Conference

K. BOULTER/D. Saville

7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the press conference of Katie Boulter.

Katie, great result out there for you today. Tell us how you're feeling.

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, obviously I'm super happy with today. It was not easy conditions. There was a lot going on. I really had to work hard to focus on myself and stay in the moment.

I felt like I did really well to get through it today, and it was a great match.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Tell us what was going through your head during the interruption? You came back and won nine straight points.

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, there were a lot of emotions I think because I didn't really know what to do in that situation. It's not something I've been through before.

Naturally my first instinct would have been to try and help get everything off the court. At the same time I have to remind myself to focus, to keep in the moment and keep trying to keep my eye on the ball and not drop it.

It's a really key moment for us. It's 4-2 in the tiebreak, I have to win this next point, else there's a lot of air between us.

Yeah, I think I tried to keep myself very levelheaded and stay as focused as I could.

Q. Did it actually help at all having that hiatus? The tiebreaker was going against you. Eight minutes it stopped for. Did that slightly wrest the momentum?

KATIE BOULTER: I'm not really sure if it helped or not. Obviously I won a lot of points after that. It was a really tough moment I think for both of us. Again, we really didn't know what to do in that situation. It's never happened before to me anyway.

I think we were just trying to go with the flow. I really stayed and kept my head really good in that time frame. Yeah, it was a crucial point.

I think the first point of the tiebreak after the 4-2 break was really important. I managed to get a long point and it really gave me a bit of momentum going forward.

Q. You were saying, talking about yesterday, that you might have been a bit tight with the Princess watching. You said today you came out, were free, no problems at all.

KATIE BOULTER: It's funny you say that because I didn't notice she was there till later on in the match, like one of the last games before it rained.

I think going into that match it was a lot based on conditions. Yesterday it was a lot heavier. I was a little bit nervous. Obviously it's the first match at Wimbledon, you'd be inhumane [sic] not to have any nerves.

For me it was about continually swinging. I think I was a bit clearer today on game plan. She played very, very well yesterday. She made me play a lot of balls. Especially when it's a little bit heavy, a little bit more moist, it's harder to hit through the ball. She's going to make every single ball. It's tough for me to hit through her.

Today I did a really good job with that and I had a clear game plan.

Q. You're saying you didn't know what to do in that situation. Were you worried at all? Someone running on the court could be anything.

KATIE BOULTER: Definitely, you never know what it is. I think I heard the crowd before I saw anything. Then I realized what it was because I saw it in the previous match.

It was obviously a little bit of a shock to the system. I think we both handled it really well. It's a really unfortunate situation for everyone.

Q. About 30 hours since when you started the match to getting back on court to play. How did you cope with that?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, it was difficult. It's been quite a time frame. I haven't played a match like this in a long time where I've been on and off for rain in terms of this extended period of time.

I think it's something that is part of tennis and we have to deal with it. I handled it very, very well. I'm through to the next round, and I've got a smile on my face and on my hat (smiling).

Q. What is your view on what happened today? If you could sit down and have a chat with these people that interrupted, what would you ask them?

KATIE BOULTER: Look, it's not my field of expertise. I don't know enough about it.

I would say that I think we all sympathize with what they're going through completely. At the same time I don't know if it's the right place or time.

When I think back to people who have sat here, as we just talked about, 30 hours trying to watch tennis, it's really tough on them. I sympathize with all of them, every person that's going through it.

I think for me as a player, my job is to try and play tennis, and in a way put on a show. I'm going to stick to that.

Q. Did you at any point feel in danger on court during the incident?

KATIE BOULTER: I wouldn't say I felt in danger. I was quite far away from it. I was walking the opposite side.

I think at the end of the day I have faith in the system that they've got enough security in place.

Q. Can I ask about the mixed doubles. We noticed you're teamed with Alex. How did that come about? Are you looking forward to it?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, I mean, I was privileged enough to ask him and he said yeah.

No, I think it's something we've both wanted to do for quite some time. I think we're both going to really enjoy it and cherish it. It's not often that you get to have that experience together, especially at Wimbledon.

We're going to go out there and have a swing. We've got nothing to lose, so I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Just wondering about your next opponent in the next round, Pera or Tomova? What are your thoughts?

KATIE BOULTER: I think they're playing now. I don't know if they've finished or not.

Obviously one of them is a seed. I know Tomova as well. Either way it's going to be a battle. It's going to be a tough match. No match here is going to be easy.

You can look on paper and say whatever you want, but at the end of the day I'm going to have to bring some game and work hard. I think I'm looking forward to it already, so yeah.

Q. How much did the energy of the crowd help you?

KATIE BOULTER: I think it made all the difference. Going out there yesterday when we were walking up, we could already hear the cheers and the screaming. I actually love the atmosphere because it was a little bit of Aussie versus the UK at the same time.

I live for these matches, whether it's against me or with me, it does get the best out of me. It's great to have the British crowd behind us. It really is.

Q. Did you notice Alex arriving a bit later in the court? I could be wrong. Did it give you a lift?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, definitely I always notice him. He told me ahead that he would come for a couple of games. Obviously he's preparing for his own match, so he needs to be pretty focused himself.

Obviously I very much appreciate having him there. Just having him there for a couple of games makes all the difference for me. I'm glad he was out there. I'm going to be doing the same in a few minutes.

Q. Back to the mixed doubles. How are you expecting you're going to be able to work together? Will there be domestics on court?

KATIE BOULTER: I hope not (smiling).

No, I think it's going to be a experience. It's going to test our relationship. I don't doubt that for a minute.

No, it's a totally different vibe going on the court with him. I think we bring the best out of each other, in terms of tennis, on and off the court. I think we're going to have a couple smiles on our faces, enjoying ourselves.

Yeah, he's obviously got a lot more experience than me in doubles, and I'll be looking to draw off him.

Q. The lightheartedness of mixed doubles, how do you think it might help you going deeper into the competition?

KATIE BOULTER: Definitely. I always say this: I play my best tennis when I'm relaxed. I'm enjoying myself. I try really hard to keep reminding myself of that. It really does bring the best out of me.

I think having him with me will keep me very calm and hopefully we can play some really good doubles.

Q. Emma Raducanu has been knocking around. She's been in some big occasions. What advice did she give you about today's match or about as you progress through?

KATIE BOULTER: Actually I haven't seen her around. I keep my head pretty buried when it comes to that stuff. I haven't seen many people.

I'm sure she'd have some very good advice for me. I don't doubt that. She's been through a lot herself. I'm sure she is trying to get back on the court as quickly as she can. Of course, we wish her the best.

Q. Have you played with Alex before or trained with him?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, we have hit a couple of times. We've trained a little bit in Alicante. I won't tell you who won at targets. Just saying.

No, yeah, we've hit a couple times and we're very familiar with each other on the court. It's going to be really fun, yeah.

Q. Going into your next matches, how concerned are you about possible more disruptions like you had today, how much of a distraction that might be?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, look, at the end of the day I'm pretty sure there will be a reaction to what's been happening, and there will be more security in place or whatever they need to do to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

I'm not worried about it. I'm just going to be focusing on myself. I'm going to keep playing tennis. That's where I'm going to be. Yeah, hopefully we roll into a few more days.