Rising tennis stars and Loughborough College alumni Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart are taking to the courts at Wimbledon.
The former College Sport students join thirteen British singles players after both being given wildcards, with Harriet making her competition debut at the All England Club today and Katie, who made her debut last year, returning to play her first match tomorrow.
Katie, who has risen from 235th in the world to 139th in only one year, said that after a “truly unforgettable experience last year” she was “incredibly excited and grateful to be given a main draw wildcard.
The 21 year old won the International Tennis Federation’s tournament in Obidos, Portugal in April and earned the biggest title of her career when she was victorious once again at the Fukuoka International Women’s Cup in Japan. But she says that like all tennis players she watched her idols play at Wimbledon and “it’s an incredible feeling to be back.”
Scooping six of the eight coveted places, there are a record number of young female British wildcard players at Wimbledon this year. “We’re all playing against top 100 players,” added Katie. “It’s really good for British tennis. I hope we are going to be seeing more of the next generation.”
Fellow Loughborough College alumna Harriet Dart has seen her world ranking climb from 315 to a career high of 171 in 2018 after making a semi-final and two quarter-finals in her first three tournaments of grass-court season. In addition to her singles wild card she has been given a doubles wild card with British player Katy Dunne.
Harriet has drawn seventh seed Karolina Pliskova in the first round and said she was “really looking forward to it” and had aimed to stay “calm and focused” head of the match. “Whatever happens, this is the biggest tournament in our calendar and I am so grateful for the opportunity. Bring it on.”
Pictured: Katie Swan (left) and alumni Katie Boulter who are both taking to the courts at Wimbledon 2018