Changing of the guard: Katie Boulter hires Maria Sharapova's former coach as she bids to qualify for 2026 Australian Open

Former British number one Katie Boulter looks to reverse the perilous slide she has been enduring in the WTA rankings as she hires Maria Sharapova's former coach Michael Joyce for the start of the 2026 season.

The American coached Sharapova for six years. He oversaw an Australian Open and US Open title while watching the Russian climb to world number one. This highlights his process in coaching, with him set to work his magic on Boulter. He has also worked with two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka, Britain's Johanna Konta and most recently Ashlyn Krueger.

After a dreadful 2025 campaign, Boulter split with long-term coach Biljana Veselinovic after a three year stint which saw her rise into the top 30 in the world and three WTA titles, breaking new ground on the WTA Tour and cementing herself at the pinnacle of women's tennis in Britain.

Her and Joyce's partnership is set to commence in the ASB Classic where Boulter has entered as a wildcard. Joyce has traversed to Auckland to team up with her, with the two set to work together for this event along with the Australian Open before making the executive decision whether to continue on the terms agreed for the rest of the year.

In an interview with BBC Sport back in November, she highlighted the need for an experienced coach to get her back to where she was at just a year ago. "Going forward with a new coach, one thing I'm very clear on is that they are going to be someone who has a lot of experience in how to make it to the very top level of this game," she said.

The 29-year-old's ambitions are clear: surpass her best ranking of 23rd in the world as recently as November 2024 "I've been ranked as high as 23 and I know I can get back there. I don't think my level has gone anywhere, I think the consistency needs to improve. My goal is not to be ranked 50, 40, 30, 20 - we've been there. The goal is to be inside 20."

With Emma Raducanu falling away due to injuries, Britain needed someone to step up on the women's game. Boulter took full advantage of this in 2023 and proved her class on the court. She won her first WTA title in the Nottingham Open against fellow Brit Jodie Burrage before defending that title a year later. Before that, she trumped that title with her first and only to date WTA 500 title in the San Diego Open against Marta Kostyuk. She reached her highest career ranking after making it to the final of the Hong Kong Open, but was defeated by Diana Shnaider.

Aside from a Challenger title in 2025, very little has gone her way. She was unable to make much of a dent in the Grand Slam tournaments, failing to make it past the second round in the first three events before losing at the first hurdle at Flushing Meadows.

Many of her hard-earned ranking points came flying off her tally as she failed to make it deep into any big competitions. After a disappointing second round exit at Wimbledon, she won just three matches for the rest of the year before she tore an abductor in her final event of last year in Hong Kong.

This saw her drop out of the top 100, and resultingly an automatic qualification spot for the Australian Open main draw. Currently the third alternative Boulter will have to hope for withdrawals to sneak into the event. If that does not happen, she will need to get through qualifying, involving winning three matches. A huge fall from grace compared to last year when she was the 22nd seed.

At the end of 2025, she went to Instagram to label the upcoming 2026 as 'the best year of her life' with her set to marry world number seven Alex de Minaur. "Success is one thing but my best and most fulfilling accolade will always be my people around me and the journey I share with them," she wrote. "Someone else always has it tougher. Keep smiling. Adiós 2025 don’t let the door hit you on the way out ….Welcoming the best year of my life. She about to be a wifey."