Frightening experience
Tennis star reports stalker: “I’ll hurt you”
December 9, 2024 – 2:08 p.mReading time: 2 min.
Things went well for Katie Boulter on the tennis court last season. But the increasing attention also gave her unpleasant experiences.
Tennis star Katie Boulter has not only impressed as British number 1 over the past 18 months, but has also learned the dark side of life in the spotlight. The 28-year-old tennis player experienced sporting highs, including entering the top 30 in the world and winning several titles, but also unpleasant encounters with pushy “fans”.
in an interview with the British “Guardian”, Boulter describes that she has repeatedly found herself in unpleasant situations.She was once followed by car in London when she wanted to pick up her friend and tennis professional Alex de Minaur. “I was traveling with Alex so it was absolutely fine, but yeah, it wasn’t the best feeling,” said Boulter.
However, it wasn’t just one incident. Things became especially threatening at the tournament in Nottingham, where she triumphed in 2023 and 2024: “Someone wrote to me on social media: ‘I’m out. I’ll hurt you if you come out,'” reports the tennis player. She then contacted those responsible for the WTA tennis tour, who actually found the man on site. “Things like this happen all the time,” says Boulter. “Obviously we are very well protected, so you feel safe. The WTA is doing a great job of being there for us. I feel like we are protected as much as possible, which at least gives you a calmed down a bit.”
Boulter explains that such experiences are unfortunately not uncommon, especially for women in public life. “It’s something I’ve always thought about. We women,when we’re home alone at night,sometimes think about things like that,” Boulter said. She adds: “It’s kind of normal thes days. It’s a strange world sometimes.”