Katie Boulter splits with coach as Brit releases emotional statement

Katie Boulter could be on the lookout for a new mentor after splitting from her coach Biljana Veselinovic. The Briton began working with Veselinovic ahead of the 2023 tennis season and won three WTA titles under her guidance.

Boulter and Veselinovic have enjoyed plenty of success together, with the talented player climbing to a career-high ranking of No. 23 last November. Boulter was also the highest-ranked British player for a period. But she has fallen to No. 100 in the world after a difficult year on the court and has failed to make it past the second round of a Grand Slam since 2023.

Boulter, who won back-to-back titles at the Nottingham Open in 2023 and 2024, took to Instagram to make the announcement about her coaching situation on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old posted a photo of herself lifting the Nottingham Open trophy with Veselinovic standing next to her.

And in an emotional statement, she wrote: "Some chapters are hard to close, but the gratitude stays forever. Thank you Bills for guiding me and helping me rise to some of the best moments of my career. On and off the court."

The post attracted reactions from the likes of Laura Robson and the LTA. Meanwhile, British No. 6 Harriet Dart replied: "What a lady!!!" And British No. 2 Sonay Kartal exclaimed: "I'm gonna miss seeing her trousers."

Veselinovic, who works as a national coach at the LTA, has mentored a string of tennis stars, including Alize Cornet, Lucie Safarova and Dart.

And discussing Boulter's prospects during an interview with The Telegraph in April 2024, the Serbian said: "I always knew that Katie had that top-30, top-20 possibility or talent.

"But I didn't think that she is going to do it so fast. Now I'm very excited because she's motivated more than ever.

"I am lucky in that her technique is pretty clean. I just encouraged her to add a little more wrist action so that she gets more shape on the ball. Physically, though, she is a lot stronger."

Veselinovic added: "You've probably noticed that hard courts and balls are becoming slower. When a match starts a deciding set, the clock already says two hours at least.

"So we decided to make our sessions longer, two-and-a-half hours on court, with another session of physical work in the afternoon.

"The other thing Katie did differently is that she's working during the tournament week. The only day that she doesn't do extra is the day before the match.

"This is possible because the [fitness] base was made the year before. If we keep pushing, if she stays healthy, that's going to help us go further than top 20, to the top 10."