Anne Keothavong Blog: Desert times...

Hello!

I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve been amused and saddened by all the reports I read about British Tennis. The Davis Cup match clearly didn’t go very well and everyone wants to have their say as to why the whole of British Tennis is crap unless you’re called Andy Murray.

I could have a rant and add more fuel to the fire, but frankly it’s not going to change anything. Yes, we don’t have enough players at the top of the game but it’s not going to happen overnight. Tennis still has to appeal to younger people and become more accessible to everyone, but the LTA are not a charity – nor are the elite players receiving money to fund their careers from taxpayers, the government or the lottery like other athletes do.

I’m not going to type anything more about it because this blog could turn in to an essay! Instead, I’ll talk about what’s been happening here in Indian Wells.

I went out in the opening round to Anna Chakvetadze and for a set and a half I played pretty well. She raised her game and I found myself over-pressing in the rallies, which doesn’t help you win tennis matches. It was obviously disappointing to lose but it’s still early days for me so I’m not going to get too down about it. The conditions were also pretty tough – we went on in the evening and the temperature here really drops once the sun goes down and that wasn’t good for my knee. When it’s really cold, my knee still feels really stiff and creaky. It didn’t stop me chasing down balls but I can’t say it’s particularly comfortable and you’re constantly aware of it.

There’s quite a bit of time between the tournament here and next week in Miami so I’ve been training hard and keeping myself busy as usual. I’ve picked up a new hobby here – Golf! There are so many Golf courses out here and the scenery is beautiful, so it would’ve been rude not to give it a go. I’ve found myself on the driving range quite a few times and I feel like I’m swinging better each time. I even attempted playing a round, but after four holes I decided I needed more practice on the range and the putting green first. I had spent way too much time in the bunkers and the sand wedge was fast-becoming my best friend!

There’s also some great tennis going on, and I watch where I can. As a player, I think it’s so much better when the events are combined with both men and women because it makes it a healthier environment for everyone. The player party in Indian Wells was one of the better ones – with a sushi bar, barbeque, burgers from the chain ‘In n Out’ and some unbelievable Italian ice cream which went down particularly well with me. The Bryan Brothers and the Counting Crows provided the entertainment, and there was a Buddy Holly tribute band and a putting competition (where I took out Nigel and Jez Green). I was given quite a few nice golf balls and something tells me I’m going to need as many as I can!

I need to get some sleep now, I’ll blog again soon.

Anne x