Anne Keothavong is a former professional tennis player and Olympian who was five times British number one. In 2009, she became the first Briton in 16 years to enter the Women’s Tennis Association’s top 50. After retiring from competitive play, she became the captain of Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup team, leading them into World Group II for the first time in 26 years.
Anne began playing tennis at age 7 at Hackney Downs and Highbury Fields. She played her first match on the International Tennis Federation’s Junior Circuit at 12 and her first professional match at 14. She made her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon in 2001. Over her 15-year career, she won 20 ITF singles titles and eight doubles titles, reaching the third round of the US Open in 2009. In 2001, Anne became the youngest player to represent Great Britain in the Fed Cup, making 39 appearances, the second highest behind Virginia Wade. She also represented Great Britain in singles and doubles at the 2012 London Olympics.
After retiring, Anne transitioned to broadcasting as a commentator and analyst for BT Sport, BBC, ITV, Amazon Prime Video Sports, and Fox Sports Asia. Since 2017, she has captained the Great Britain team in the Fed Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, winning all four ties in her first year and achieving promotion to World Group II. Anne was appointed MBE in 2021 to recognise her contributions to tennis.
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