Katie Boulter, 29, is a British professional tennis player from Leicestershire who started playing aged five. As she heads to Wimbledon this year, she ranks in the top three female tennis players in Britain.
7.30am
Days of the week don’t really count to tennis players because we’re continuing to train – Saturday is no different. I start the day with lemon water and two poached eggs on avocado toast. Then I meet with my team, and everyone knows not to talk to me until I’ve had a coffee. It’s a very quiet walk to get coffee all together.
9am
Saturday mornings always start with a gym session. If my fiancé Alex [de Minaur] and I are both in the same country at the same time, we might do it together, but usually I’m with my team.
10am
We’ll all head to the tennis court to train. I basically live at the National Tennis Centre right now. There’s a lot of attention on rankings this time of year, but I have to remind myself that this is my 365-day-a-year job, it’s not just a four-week thing. I need to remain with two feet on the ground, no matter what. It’s not all about having the No 1 spot, and I love seeing other British women do great – I want everyone to do well around me too. But, I do want to exceed my career-high ranking.
And of course, I’m looking forward to playing in the UK, because British crowds make it extremely special. It’s also the grass court season, which I much prefer over clay. The ball comes through higher and slower on clay, and it’s harder to finish points. It’s a patience contest, whereas grass is more of a skills contest, all about the intricate shots.
12.30pm
When I’m in London, there’s one place in Wimbledon Village that we always go to as a team for lunch. It’s called Maison St Cassien and they serve an unbelievable chicken shawarma wrap. It’s something that we look forward to when we’re away – a home comfort. It’s a favourite among tennis players, a lot of them go there during the championships.
1.30pm
Depending on the day, I’ll either do another tennis session or go to the gym – one outside of the training centre, to change the scenery. On a Saturday I’ll do something tough, like a cardio session to end the week, or I’ll do an upper and lower body session. It could be anything from picking up heavy weights to running from side-to-side on a tennis court or on the treadmill.