Katie Boulter has enjoyed an excellent start to the season and she is excited to try and continue that during the clay court swing.
The Briton has always possessed immense talent. But a range of injuries held her back for a long time and it seemed like that could stop Boulter from fully reaching the level she is capable of.
However, the 27-year-old has shone in 2024 so far. This most notably included Boulter winning her first WTA 500 title by superbly overcoming Australian Open quarterfinalist Marta Kostyuk in the final.
Boulter's first match on clay this year is set to be at the Billie Jean King Cup in France. One of her teammates for that tie will be Emma Raducanu, who recently discussed how fun she thinks playing on clay is.
In a recent interview with the WTA Insider Podcast, Boulter talked about how she was feeling about playing on clay. She mentioned how practicing extensively on clay during the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown in 2020 helped her build some confidence on the surface.
"I chose to go outside and practice on the clay instead of being indoors, and I think that mentally gave me a lot of help, and physically really helped me as well. So that's why I'm looking forward to it. I have played some really good stuff. Back in the days when Johanna Konta was playing, I practiced quite a bit with her out there and absolutely loved it. So looking forward to it."
Boulter also admitted that she used to avoid much of the clay court season due to injury but that is not the case anymore due to feeling physically stronger. Without many points to defend, she is feeling good heading into competing on the dirt.
"I think it's something fresh, something exciting for me. Most players would have played on the dirt and enjoyed it and probably got quite a few points to defend, and I'm going to come out there and swing. So naturally for me, I don't have anything to to lose. I really am looking forward to it. I think it's very physical and I'm going to show the physical gains that I've really put in the work for."