Some sporting rivalries go deeper than a match won or lost. They are in the blood.
This also applies to Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart, for whom the tensions on the tennis court stem from a proud heritage in the sport, built up thanks to their mothers.
Mothers who competed against each other for supremacy in their tennis generation.
Sue Boulter introduced her daughter to tennis at the age of four, having been introduced to the sport by her mother Jill at a young age in Leicestershire.
While Susie Dart took her daughter to her first training session at the age of seven at the Cumberland Lawn Tennis Club in Hampstead, North London, after her own successful career.
The mothers were both county captains for Leicestershire and Middlesex and played against each other in tournaments organised by the Lawn Tennis Association.
Their daughters were born just four days apart and were destined for great success, but they would also ultimately clash.
Katie Boulter as a young girl being carried by her mother Sue Boulter during a tennis tournament
Susie Dart, the mother of Harriet Dart, who later played opposite Sue Boulter
A young Harriet Dart is pictured enjoying her early years of tennis as a boy
When Dart and Boulter’s youngest siblings faced each other at Wimbledon yesterday, the fighting spirit was greater than just pure adrenaline.
The will to win was clearly visible in Dart’s face, as the tears rolled down her cheeks. In the opening stages it looked as if her rival Boulter would beat her again.
But now they are both 27, and the joy on Darts’ face was clear as she secured her second win over Boulter, holding hands and beaming.
Before their latest clash, Boulter had won six of the previous seven meetings.
The last time was in Nottingham, where Dart was so frustrated by the referee’s decision that she offered a £50,000 bet that the ball was ‘out’ and not ‘in’.
She shouted at the referee: ‘I promise you,’ she continued, ‘if you watch it back, I’ll bet you £50,000 it was out. I really do. I’d shake your hand right now.’
Katie Boulter (right) and her mother Sue Boulter (left) share a passion for tennis.
Katie Boulter with her grandmother Jill Gartshore who played tennis with Katie’s mother
Harriet Dart hugs her mother Susie Dart at Wimbledon after her first round victory
Katie Boulter’s grandmother Jill Gartshore (left) poses with Sue Boulter (right) after winning a competition together in Reading
The first time the two met was also in Nottingham, when Boulter hit herself in the head while celebrating her 6-3, 7-5 victory.
Dart was convinced that this was an attempt at mind games as he had won the match and told Boulter that it was unnecessary.
The two clashed when they met at the net, after which they turned to the referee. Boulter said it was nothing personal.
But the tension between the two remains.
In the run-up to the meeting, Boulter said: ‘“It’s never easy playing a Brit on grass in the UK and I’m expecting a huge battle,” Boulter said on Monday.
“I have to go back to the last few things I played with her and use that to my advantage in the next round. I think it’s going to be extremely tough. I have a lot of respect for her on this surface. It’s one of her favorites.”
Harriet Dart on the moment she realises she has beaten Katie Boulter at Wimbledon
The tension and emotion are gone from Harriet Darts’ face in the first round against Katie Boulter
Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart shake hands after the latest twist in their long-standing rivalry
“This is actually her home club. She’s been here since she was a little toddler with her mother.”
And after her loss, a visibly emotional Boulter spoke to the press.
She wished Dart all the best, saying, “We’ve been through this long journey together. I wish her all the best. I hope she goes far in this tournament.”
Asked if she felt like Dart’s tears were distracting, she added: “I mean, I don’t know. I actually haven’t even noticed. I try not to look at it too much.”
During a press conference immediately after the match, Dart was also asked about her emotions during the match.
She said: ‘I’ve been letting things sink in a bit. I’ve been able to pull myself together, that’s the main thing, just fighting as hard as I can.
“I was very happy, as you probably saw at the end, to get the win.”
Susie Dart left and her daughter Harriet pose for a photo at Wimbledon
Dart attempted to play down rumours of the bitter rivalry when confronted about it directly after her win.
“Gosh, rivalry? My record is absolutely terrible against her. I wouldn’t really call it a rivalry. We grew up together. I think we’re only a few days apart.
“It’s a tough sport that we play. I mean, she’s had a great year, not only this year but last year as well.
“So for me to beat her here shows how far I’ve come in my game. I mean, she’s a great player.
‘Honestly, I didn’t really expect to win today because like I said, my head-to-head with her is really terrible. It’s nice to finally win.’
Harriet Dart at the Emirates watches her beloved Arsenal play a home game
Katie Boulter outside her football team Leicester City’s stadium, the King Power Stadium
And as if their rivalry on the tennis court wasn’t enough, the two also support rival soccer teams.
Boulter is a big fan of Leicester City and compares herself to a fox, the nickname of her club.
‘I see myself as a fox. They are fighters, they keep going.
“I think I’ve had a lot of adversity, both on and off the field, and also on the field.”
Dart is a die-hard Arsenal fan and regularly uploads pictures of himself on the pitch in the team’s red and white colours.
Leicester defeated Arsenal in a remarkable 2016 Premier League season to win the title despite being 5,000-1 predicted.
