“Katie Boulter was accused of having ‘balltoss-itis’ following the first set of her latest match at Wimbledon. The British star took the opener 7-6 (9-7) against Solana Sierra, despite struggling with her serve for much of the opening stages.
Boulter served a series of double faults, including one on match point. Her woes continued into the second set, with the Argentine breaking twice to win it 6-2 and level the match. By that point, the home hero had served up 10 double faults and made just 58 per cent of her first serves.
It was during the second set that BBC commentator Martina Navratilova frequently referenced Boulter’s inconsistency with her ball toss before serving. Sienna was also erratic on serve, leading to one commentator to quip: “It’s balltoss-itis here at Wimbledon.”
The iconic Navratilova then outlined the technical issue that was seemingly plaguing the 28-year-old. She said: “You know, it is contagious because I hardly ever see people catching the ball. More so now, especially the women.”