Harriet Dart has hailed the “positive impact” of her ex-model boyfriend before bidding to reach a Grand Slam fourth round for the first time.
The British No.2 shocked Katie Boulter to set up a third round clash with world No.42 Wang Xinyu of China today. And the Londoner said Norwegian Stephen Falck, who is also her agent, is a big part of her success since meeting in 2022.
“I’m honestly so grateful he came into my life,” said Dart. “He’s been a really positive impact. He’s so supportive of everything that I do. Now he’s travelling with me full-time, which is really great. For someone to have no ego in anything, he’s very happy to support wherever he can. He was in fashion. He was a model. He also has a law degree.
“Now he actually has taken over the role as my agent, which has been really good and really fun. So yeah, I mean, it’s been so nice that he’s always there for me no matter what through the good and bad. As much as this is a win of mine, it’s also a win for him, a win for my whole team.”
Falck, a former model and software engineer, has worked with several major fashion brands, including Calvin Klein, H&M and Tommy Hilfiger.
An avid tennis fan, he can often be found supporting Dart at her matches and the couple even live close to the All England Club with her sister.
Dart’s positive tone towards Falck will warm many hearts after she opened up about ending a “toxic” relationship two years ago. “I went through a really bad personal time that was not a fun time in my life last year,” she said at the 2022 edition of Wimbledon. “I really had to work on a lot of things.
“I’m a lot happier now, I have a nice boyfriend now, which is nice. I went through a bad relationship, it was very toxic, and I do believe if you’re happier off the court, you’re happier on the court.
“It’s like any job, if you bring things from home into the workplace, it’s very challenging. I definitely feel like I belong a lot more. In previous years I’ve had some good results, but I’ve lost some pretty close matches.”
But with a supportive boyfriend in Falke on her side, Dart will be aiming for a first fourth-round berth at a Grand Slam in her career should she defeat Wang on Saturday.
