“If we didn’t have Emma Raducanu then I don’t think that these girls would be pushing through" - Katie Boulter
Katie Boulter has acknowledged the significant impact Emma Raducanu has had on the progress of British women's tennis.
Boulter overtook Raducanu as the British No. 1 on June 12. She was recently featured as the cover star alongside compatriots Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper for Tatler magazine's August issue heralding the "new British tennis superstars" ahead of Wimbledon 2023.
In her interview with Tatler, the 26-year-old expressed her desire to emulate Emma Raducanu's 2021 US Open triumph and win a Grand Slam title. She also shared her aspirations of claiming the World No. 1 ranking.
"That’s my ultimate dream. And to be number one in the world," Boulter said.
In the piece, she also spoke about her close friendship with Raducanu and fellow Brits, Heather Watson and Freya Christie.
"Heather [Watson], Freya Christie… obviously Emma [Raducanu] – we all get on very well. We do loads of barbecues over the summer," she said.
Ahead of her tournament opener at the Eastbourne International, Boulter reiterated her desire to claim the top spot in the WTA rankings.
“I’m going to keep striving for (world number one) but I’ve got a long way to go. I’ve got different steps I need to take," she said.
The Brit also deemed Emma Raducanu's historic triumph at the 2021 US Open an "inspiration" and asserted that it served as the catalyst for more British women's tennis players breaking through on the tour.
“If we didn’t have Emma then I don’t think that these girls would be pushing through and I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from her,” Boulter said. “What she did was absolutely incredible and I don’t think it’ll ever be emulated again. It was quite the moment and she’s a very special girl.”
In other news, Katie Boulter suffered a straight-sets defeat to Petra Martic in her opening match at the Eastbourne International.
How Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter fared at Wimbledon 2022
Emma Raducanu made a strong start to her Wimbledon 2022 campaign with a dominant win over Alison Van Uytvanck. However, she was unable to progress further in the tournament as she suffered a straight-sets defeat to Caroline Garcia in the second round.
Meanwhile, Katie Boulter, who entered her home Slam with a wildcard, defeated Clara Burel in the first round. Subsequently, she scored a win over the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova before falling to Harmony Tan in the third round.
While Boulter will be hoping to build on her recent Nottingham Open triumph in her Wimbledon 2023 campaign, Raducanu will miss out on the grasscourt Major as she recovers from surgeries to her wrists and ankle.