'I LOVE TO HAVE THAT FEELING WHEN THE CROWD ROARS'

BRITISH TENNIS ACE KATIE BOULTER REVEALS HER DREAM TO BE WORLD NUMBER ONE AND HOW MUCH HER FANS MEAN TO HER

-  SANDRA WALSH

She’s the new golden girl of British tennis, half of the sport’s latest power couple and even has a royal fan, so Britain’s Katie Boulter is acing it this summer whether she triumphs at Wimbledon or not.

Having overtaken the injured Emma Raducanu to become British number one, Katie has stepped out of the shadows to wow the crowds.

The 26-year-old from Leicester won her first WTA tour title in Nottingham last month and is currently ranked 89 in the world. Big-name sponsors including Nike, Wilson and Jaguar have helped push her personal wealth to around £2.5 million.

The Princess of Wales is a fan, too. When Katie was injured in 2019, she was spotted looking relaxed and laughing alongside Catherine in the Wimbledon stands.

“She was cracking jokes… she was really enjoying the tennis,” Katie said of her royal supporter, who is a patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

Last week, the princess was back at Wimbledon and would have been around as Katie won her opening-round tie against Australian Daria Saville over two days, after the match was suspended overnight due to heavy rain.

An emotional Katie won the hearts of the nation last year, not only for her stunning debut performance on the famous Centre Court in SW19, but also for the reason it meant so much to her.