US OPEN

August 29, 2023

Katie Boulter

Press Conference

K. BOULTER/D. Parry

6-4, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Straight sets. Please assess your performance. Round 1.

KATIE BOULTER: Really happy with my performance today. Never easy playing first round. I felt like I went out there, trying to find my feet a little bit.

Missed a couple of balls which, you know, you could see I was trying to find myself. All of a sudden it just clicked, and winning the first set gave me a lot of confidence going into the second and I felt like I played some really good tennis to finish the second.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You mentioned to us the other day you hadn't had a kind of moment on the big stage in New York, so I wondered if that was a box that you were keen to tick, particularly?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, definitely. I felt the love out there today, which was really, really nice. It was such a good atmosphere. What I love about it the most is those front courts they have all the matches going along all the time. It's a challenge for me to focus and stay in the moment, and not hear all the other courts going on, which is what I did unbelievably well today.

You know, the British fans got me over the line.

Q. How important was it to you to back up what you did at Wimbledon? Because sometimes in the past we've seen Brits are supposed to do well in the grass and then maybe struggle to carry that to other surfaces.

KATIE BOULTER: Hey, absolutely. I feel like I have grown a lot with this as well. Clearly it's our favorite surface, but, you know, I feel like I have had a lot of wins off the grass as well in the past.

You know, for me, I just want to consolidate my ranking and really show that week in, week out I can play these girls and get a lot of wins against them. I think that's what's really going to build my confidence.

I didn't get the chance to do it before when I was inside 100, and I feel like I finally got my feet settled and now is my time to really push on.

Q. When was the last time you had a bagel in the set? You looked determined to close it out. How important was it to get that final set to get done like that?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, I mean, it was important to me, because I really wanted to challenge myself to focus every single point, because a player like that, they're not going to go away. It doesn't take much to get them back in the match. All it takes is one drop of serve.

My aim was just to keep going no matter what the score was and try and bring the same energy and the same confidence that I did in the start of the second. You know, I stayed in a lot of games where I got through them and managed to make it a lot easier on myself that way.

Yeah, I felt like I was really controlling the ball and going to it and being aggressive, which is what I want to do.

Q. When you say you felt the love out there, any particular things people were saying to you, or was it just Brits you could hear, or Americans as well?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, I don't know if they were British, American. I think they were everything, which was super nice. There were a lot of GB flags, which made me feel very at home, which was very nice.

I did appreciate it out there. You know, it's when you hear, like, little kids screaming your name, that's when it pushes you. It makes you think for a second, hey, this is where I want to be and these are the matches that I want to play.

Q. When you hit the top 100 when you were younger and then got injured, what's the difference between handling the pressure and expectations when you did it the first time and now?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, that's a great question. I feel like the first time that I did it I was probably, I was running on a lot of steam the whole time, an empty tank, which clearly you could see in the end it paid off in my body.

I feel like now I've really built a solid base. It's taken me a while. It has, probably more than a lot of people. But the base that I have built, I feel in a position that I can springboard off it rather than me just trying to chase and trying to chase.

Yeah, I mean, I was playing some unbelievable tennis back then, I was, and some of my best, I'm sure. But I feel in a much better position now physically as well than I did back then.

Q. A lot of players, it takes some players a long time to break into the top 100 but once they get there it can be very freeing. We've seen it with maybe Christopher Eubanks or Jessie Pegula. Wondering what that feels like to get to that point and does it feel free in a way?

KATIE BOULTER: I think in every sport it's going to take time to build something. I think there is always going to be exceptions to the rules and there's always going to be 16-year-olds who do unbelievably well.

For me it's not that case, and I've tried to play the long game. I've really had to back myself and dig myself out of a few holes to really get myself to where I am now. I feel like that's a testament to how hard I've worked.

Whether it was the short game or the long game, I really don't mind but I'm here right now and that's what I'm happy with.

Q. We don't know exactly who you're going to play next. Give us your thoughts on each of those opponents and particularly Garcia, who obviously you played in Coventry this year.

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, I think it's going to be a really good match. The girl that she's playing, I know she's coming in with a lot of confidence. I haven't watched too much of her and I don't doubt I will, and we're going to go and watch a little bit out there, I think.

Obviously I know Garcia very well. She's a true champion. I have lost to her; I have beaten her. We have had some absolute battles and some tough moments. I'm sure it's going to be a great match. I really look forward to it.

Again, I relish these moments and these opportunities to play against the better players.

Q. Particularly the Coventry experience, can you tell us a little bit what you learned from that?

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, I mean, I learned a lot. Actually, I genuinely don't think I would be in the position I am right now if it wasn't for that match.

It kind of sparked something in me that gave me a lot of confidence bringing into the rest of the year, and going to Japan after that really pushed me.

Yeah, I mean, it was a battle. It could have gone either way, three tiebreaks. It's the margins in tennis which make the difference, and hopefully I can sneak it this time.

Q. Whether it's Wang Yafan or Caroline Garcia in the next round, you're playing with a lot of confidence at the moment. Someone else who is playing with a lot of confidence is Alex de Minaur in terms of seeing how he's playing. Has seeing how he's playing been able to further even galvanize you? And your thoughts on him being also a New York Jet in terms of all that.

KATIE BOULTER: Yeah, I think he was a little kid for a minute there going to see some of the football. All I've been hearing about is Fantasy Football. I think he really enjoyed that. Secretly he probably won't admit it too much, but yeah, he had the best time.

Hey, he's someone that I idolize and I try and emulate. What he did over the course of this period of time has been pretty inspirational for me, and I don't say that lightly. He's really pushed the boundaries, and making his first Masters final was a massive moment for him and I don't doubt you'll see a lot more from him.

Q. There was that moment earlier in the year when we had a brief point where we weren't getting anyone in the main draw directly, and we asked a few questions about that and you sort of pushed back a bit. Did it give you motivation with that situation?

KATIE BOULTER: I think it's nice to look back at that and point out that moment, because, you know, I really do, and I've always felt it, there's a lot of players here, there's a lot of girls that will be inside 100, they're going to be in and out.

But for me it's not just about 100. I genuinely believe they can be 50, 40, 30. Like, I think they've all got the games to play and I feel very strongly about it. I know you guys asked me about it, and I'll stand by that again. Whether we have 0 or 100 people inside 100, I stand by what I say. I think we're all good talents, and it's going to click at some point no matter what our rankings are.