Katie Boulter makes sad admission after Wimbledon defeat – 'Have to accept'
Boulter battled hard to clinch the first set in a nail-biting tiebreak, but the match slipped through her fingers thereafter. Sierra, whose team is now scrambling to secure a fourth local place to stay due to her unforeseen success, took control early in the second set and consistently overpowered Boulter's serve.
The 28-year-old has reached the world ranking of 23rd but has yet to advance past the third round at Wimbledon or any other Grand Slam. She's beginning to wonder if fate will ever favour her at the prestigious London tournament.
"I mean, of course it hurts," Boulter said. "It's a really tough pill to swallow. It always is here. Unfortunately it's just the way that it is. Sometimes I just have to accept that my moment might not come at some point.
"I'm just going to keep working hard and keep trying my hardest. Ultimately that's all I can do and keep putting myself out there and keep improving every single year.
"I think you can look at a piece of paper and be like, 'Oh, this is a terrible loss'. Ultimately, she played better than me on the day. That's how it is. I thought she played a good match."
Boulter asserted that her latest opponent, Sierra, hits her serve in such a way that even top players like ninth seed Paula Badosa may not be able to match her.
"She was hitting it very fast at me," Boulter added. "I'm not entirely sure. It's not often that I feel like that. I didn't feel like that against Paula. Even when she was hitting full power, and I would say she's someone who has one of the most powerful shots on tour, I didn't feel the same."
The 21-year-old, currently ranked 101st in the world, is determined to seize her 'moment' on the court despite acknowledging her struggle with patience.
Reflecting on her disappointment at SW19, Boulter added: "I'm not a patient person. I want results. I want to do better at Wimbledon. I think that's the hard part about all of this, is that I want to do better in weeks like this."
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