'I'm Outside, I'm Going To Hurt You': Boulter Reveals Disturbing Truth About Haters
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Katie Boulter is the highest-ranked British tennis player on the WTA Tour, and as such, she attracts a lot of attention, also the type of attention she doesn't want.
Boulter is not the most known British tennis player, which could be seen as both beneficial and not. Emma Raducanu has a huge marketing appeal since she won the 2021 US Open as a teenager, which is why she was the seventh highest-earning female tennis player in 2024 despite not having any major success on the tennis courts.
Boulter, on the other hand, is the highest-ranked Brit on the WTA Tour, and she rose to the Top 25 ranks only recently. With her growth, she has also won the hearts of thousands of fans all around Great Britain and the world.
Unfortunately, while she has many, many fans, she also has plenty of haters. That, regrettably, seems to be a new normal for many athletes, including Boulter.
Many tennis players have shared hateful messages they receive after lost matches, and some take it even further, way too far for what would be acceptable.
The 28-year-old British player recently opened up about the online haters in an interview with The Guardian, admitting that she had experienced people following her.
"People have followed me at times. I actually went to go and pick up Alex [de Minaur, her boyfriend and fellow tennis player] from Queens, and I had someone follow me in the car."
She was with her boyfriend, fellow tennis player Alex de Minaur, at the time, which made her feel safer, but nevertheless, it was not a nice feeling to see a car following her.
"We went to Sloane Square, got out, went for a walk around the shops and stuff and the same car was following me home. I was with Alex, so it was absolutely fine, but yeah, it wasn’t the best feeling."
"It happens to all of us, it’s part of life when you’re in the public eye a little bit. Obviously you don’t feel comfortable..."
Unfortunately, that wasn't Boulter's only bad experience with a fan. Another one happened in Nottingham, which hosts a WTA 250 tournament that she won twice in a row in 2023 and 2024.
While competing at the Nottingham Open, someone texted Boulter, saying that they were waiting for her outside, of her hotel probably.
The British player swiftly reacted by alerting the WTA, and while most of the time these messages are from people who are sitting behind the computer screens at their homes, this time, the person was really present at the site.
"One time in Nottingham, I had someone messaging me on social media saying: ‘I’m outside. I’m going to hurt you if you come outside.’ Obviously I alerted the WTA, and they found the guy, who was actually on site."
"Things like this happen all the time. Obviously, we are very well protected, which makes you feel safe. The WTA does a great job of being there for you with that. I do feel like we are protected as much as possible, which at least puts your mind at ease a little bit."
