During her career, British star Katie Boulter has secured victories over numerous high-profile stars.
These include Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini and Paula Badosa, whom Boulter defeated at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships.
In 2021, Boulter played the greatest of them all: Serena Williams.
If Serena Williams isn’t the greatest tennis player of all time, then who is and why?
The pair met in 2019 at the Hopman Cup during Great Britain’s fixture against the USA. Serena won the match 6-1, 7-6, but she could not prevent the US from losing the tie 1-2.
Seven years later, Boulter has discussed how she felt after stepping onto the court with Serena.
Katie Boulter says she was ‘starstruck’ when playing Serena Williams in 2019
Speaking on the Sit-Down podcast, Boulter describes her feelings upon stepping out to face Serena in Perth, Australia.
Boulter said: “Her aura speaks for herself. She is the GOAT. You can’t compare her to anyone.
“I actually played against Serena. I met her ages ago. I played her in the Hopman Cup in Australia, in Perth.
“I was so scared! Well, scared is probably the wrong word. But I was starstruck. I was like this woman is tennis. She is literally what it’s all defined to be.
“Obviously her rivalry with Maria was amazing to watch and the way they both played.
“So I managed to meet her there. And I also managed to meet her at the Gala, the first time I met her wasn’t even on the tennis court.
“I was wearing a Ralph & Russo dress and she came up to me and said ‘that is stunning’ and we had this whole chat about the dress. So she was extremely warm to me and I always remember that moment as a really sweet moment that I had with her.”
Serena’s victory over Boulter levelled the Hopman Cup tie at 1-1 following Cameron Norrie’s triumph against Frances Tiafoe.
In the deciding mixed doubles rubber, Norrie and Boulter defeated Serena and Tiafoe 3-4, 4-3, 4-1.
| Match | Winner | Score |
| Cameron Norrie vs Frances Tiafoe | Cameron Norrie | 7-6, 6-0 |
| Katie Boulter vs Serena Williams | Serena Williams | 6-1, 7-6 |
| Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie vs Serena Williams and Frances Tiafoe | Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie | 3-4, 4-3, 4-1 |
Katie Boulter’s social media reaction
After losing to Serena in 2019, Boulter posted a message on social media.
As per the Daily Mail, the message read: “What a privilege to be sharing the court with Serena Williams today. She was one of the reasons I started playing tennis, and has been an inspiration to me throughout my whole career.”
As for Serena, she said the Hopman Cup was the ‘perfect preparation’ for the 2019 Australian Open.
Serena went on to reach the quarter-finals in Melbourne, losing to Karolina Pliskova 4-6, 6-4, 5-7.
The American made two Grand Slam finals that year at Wimbledon and the US Open. She lost both finals, to Simona Halep and Bianca Andreescu, respectively.
What is stopping Katie Boulter from staying in the WTA top 20?
Serena retired from her playing career in 2023 following her exit from the US Open.
However, there have been rumours swirling: could Serena make an emphatic return to the sport?
It seems possible when considering she re-entered the ITIA doping protocol six months ago, and is now able to accept wildcards for WTA Tour events.
