Anne Keothavong's Blog by Anne_Keothavong

The past few weeks have been pretty manic so apologies for not updating you. Wimbledon was as eventful as ever and I went out to the eventual Champion, Petra Kvitova in the second round. I wasn’t a ‘plucky Brit’ in that match as she completely smoked me. She was striking the ball so well that I said to everyone after the match that she would win the tournament and I’m pleased to say I was right! There’s just one thing I would like to get off my chest before I continue this blog. I can’t stand the negativity some people show towards British tennis players. Tennis is a sport that requires a lot of skill and hard work. Results don’t happen overnight and it’s a sport you have to work at from a very young age where dedication and sacrifice is compulsory.

The competition is immense and it’s a bigger sport professionally than a lot of others out there. Only three British players were in the draw by right; myself, Andy Murray and Elena Baltacha. That meant that every other Brit was there with the help of a wildcard, so everyone else in the draw was ranked higher than them. I’m not sure what some people expect, but every player walks on to that court wanting to give it their all. No one loses on purpose. A few British players had some close matches which they weren’t able to finish off, but they were against better players. I’m not saying it’s good, but some things have to be put into perspective before flippant comments are made. Rant over.

Moving on, I think my most memorable moment from Wimbledon this year was the mixed doubles match. My partner Jonny Marray and I played on Court 1 on Saturday evening. We didn’t win despite me serving for the match, but the atmosphere was incredible. We could barely see the ball towards the end of the match as it was so dark but the noise and the support from the crowd is something Jonny and I will never forget. It was his first time on a show court at Wimbledon and he’s the best British male partner I’ve ever played with because he was so positive, and he’s a great doubles player.

Apart from the tennis, I was part of the Sky Sports News and BBC Radio 5 Live team. There were a few mishaps and technical difficulties at times but it was all good experience for me and it kept everyone involved on their toes. Georgie Thompson and Kirsty Gallagher were both really sweet, but it’s radio that I find more challenging as there’s always constant chat needed. I have huge admiration for the commentators on the radio as I can never understand how anyone can add so much colour to a tennis match like they do! Anyway, I’m in Newport Beach, California now and I hope this blog has made sense. If not, you can blame it on the jet lag.

I’m playing World Team Tennis over the next three weeks. Current and former players are involved and it’s a totally different concept to the usual tournaments I play in. It’s the first time I’ve played in this event and matches are only up to 5 games. There’s a men's and women’s singles, men's and women’s doubles and then a mixed doubles and the team with the highest number of games at the end wins. Crowd participation is actively encouraged and if you’re not performing well, the coach can sub you in the middle of the match! I’m really excited about this competition as it’s so different, but we’ve got seven matches back to back in different cities so it’s going to be mad. Bring it on!