The last British player has left the building. Turn off the (Centre Court) lights. After Friday evening’s Bonfire of the Brits – where Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie and Liam Broady were knocked out of Wimbledon in a car-crash two hours – there was more bad news for home fans on Saturday night. Katie Boulter, the final remaining hope, was overwhelmed by the formidable number three seed Elena Rybakina, 6-1 6-1. There have been some gutsy performances and moments of high drama, but the bottom line is that Britain will have no singles players in the second week of Wimbledon for the first time since 2018.
There had been – strange as it seems now – cautious hopes for an upset coming into the Boulter-Rybakina match. Boulter, the 26-year-old from Leicester, had arrived on court saying she had “nothing to lose … I’m going to have a swing and go for it”. And she was true to her word.
But the stark reality was that Rybakina, last year’s Wimbledon champion, was a different class to Boulter, who is ranked 89 in the world. The two players have very similar styles: a big serve, an instinct always to be aggressive; both clearly love playing on grass. But Rybakina does everything just a fraction better. Not by a lot, but at this level, that can make a match one-sided. “She was relentless,” said Boulter afterwards. “She was just a much better player.”
“I was playing really well,” said Rybakina. “And I was really focused from the beginning.” She was asked if she found the home crowd a factor: “I knew what to expect. Of course I knew it would be tough. But I heard some support. It was a really nice atmosphere even though more support was for Katie.”
To be honest, it’s not that easy to turn Rybakina into a really satisfying nemesis. The Kazakhstani is a quiet, unobtrusive presence on court. Last summer, she was criticised for not celebrating her Wimbledon win in a suitably delirious manner. It came up again this week: “I’m a calm person,” she replied, “I would say that’s just my personality.”
On Saturday, the Centre Court crowd became pretty raucous at times, but it could hardly be described as a cauldron. At one point, after Rybakina had missed a very rare, easy put-away, a Boulter fan shouted out: “Her backhand’s rubbish!” And he was promptly shushed by everyone around him.
The clash was given prime billing as the final match on Centre Court – the traditional Murray, tea-time-thriller slot – but started much later than expected. Rybakina served the first ball at 8.55pm. The players had two hours to get the job done before Wimbledon’s famous 11pm curfew kicked in, at which point, presumably, the tennis balls would turn into little pumpkins or something.
But Rybakina clearly relishes a deadline. She won her first service game in a minute, and the first set in 25 minutes. The match was wrapped up before 10pm. There’s been a lot of murmurs this week about Rybakina’s fitness and her loss of power since she picked up a respiratory virus at the French Open in May. On this evidence, she’s getting back to near her best. And seeing that her best was good enough to win Wimbledon last year, that’s ominous form.
Boulter refused to be disheartened by the defeat. “I loved every single minute,” she said. “Obviously today was not my day, but it’s part of this sport and ultimately I have to pick myself up and look at the positives. I’m sure it’s going to be a tough night but I’m going to sit here tomorrow morning and tell you that I’m at a career high. I’ve had some seriously positive weeks. I’ve come off the back of five long weeks with no injuries, no issues.”
There’s certainly much to admire about Boulter’s attitude. This week at Wimbledon she has not only had to shoulder the hopes of an over-expectant nation, but she’s also had to deal with a Just Stop Oil protest during her first-round match and lots of eager questions about her relationship with the Australian player Alex de Minaur. She’s handled it all with unflappable decency – she even helped clear up the confetti and jigsaw pieces dropped on court by the protester.
Inside Centre Court, it was also the day that Wimbledon celebrated champions and legends from the world of sport. Billie Jean King was there, so was Gary Lineker and a pride of Lionesses, including Beth Mead and Leah Williamson. But, emotionally, the most heartfelt ovation was saved for the introduction of Sue Barker. Once the Wimbledon faithful take you into their hearts, they don’t forget. That’s something Boulter can expect to enjoy in the coming years.
