
Anne Keothavong blog: typical British weather...
Blogging seemed like a good way to while away the rain delays at the AEGON Classic in Edgbaston...
Hey guys! So much for saying I was going to get back into blogging mode, but seeing as I’ve got some time on my hands at the AEGON Classic it’s time I gave you a status update!
First, the good news: I’m through to Wimbledon on the back of my own ranking. That was one of my big goals when I returned from knee surgery in February, and to get there on my own merit and without needing to use my protected ranking – along with the French – shows what a strong start I made on my return. I’ve got no rankings points to defend now for the rest of the year, so my ranking can only go one way, and with any luck over the next few months I can send it back where it ought to be.
I’m also heading to Eastbourne for the AEGON International with a wildcard – thank you LTA! It’ll be nice to have another go at that next week, before heading back to SW19 for another year.
So what have I been up to? I spent an extra couple of days in Paris with my family and did a bit of commentary work with Eurosport – check out the video above. It’s always nice to do that sort of stuff. When I got back I began practising on the grass courts at the National Tennis Centre, though by the time I got there the courts were pretty worn already.
I took a late wildcard for the AEGON Trophy in Nottingham. I hadn’t planned on playing there, I wanted more time on the grass, but decided I may as well try to get a few matches in so I drove my new Jaguar on the motorway for the first time – and hopefully didn’t pick up any speeding tickets in the process! It rained a few days before the tournament began, so we didn’t get that much time on the grass anyway. I ended up back on the hard courts – so in the space of a week I’d gone from clay to grass, to hard, and back to grass.
That’s not easy on the joints. With the way the mechanics of my left leg work now after the surgery, landing on it can stiffen everything up after a while, from my back and stomach right down to my ankle – it’s all one chain. And grass zaps everything that little bit more – the balls come through lower and faster, so you’ve got to get down to the ball, it’s quite deceptive that way. Everyone feels stiff their first few days on grass – if you’re right-handed it’s generally your left bum-cheek that gets it for a while, and vice-versa for lefties. But after the surgery, I feel it more than the others, more than I did before.
I had to retire in my quarter-final against Sandra Zahlavova. My hip and knee had been pretty stiff with the change of surface, and playing singles and doubles on the same day meant I’d gone from nothing to a loaded schedule in the space of a few hours, which is tough. Knowing that Birmingham, Eastbourne and Wimbledon were coming up, there was no point making everything worse. I headed back to London for some physio, and drove back up to Birmingham. Not the ideal preparation, but being fit and in one piece was the priority.
There’s been lots of hanging around at the Priory Club, but I did get on court eventually. I had to dig deep and get a bit angry with myself to come through my first round match against Pauline Parmentier. She served well, and it was tough to break her, especially on a damp grass court – not that I’ve done loads of movement on a grass court recently! You’re going to be a little bit wary of moving on a damp court at the best of times, but it’s harder to be sure of your footing when you’ve had two knee surgeries. Want to know how wet it was? There was sawdust out on the court!
I guess it’s tough for everyone, though. It’s just frustrating, and it’s not easy to come out and play good tennis after hanging around all day, and the day before, waiting for your first match. But it’s the same for everyone, and if that means getting hacked off to try and use it as motivation, to get myself going a bit, so be it.
Conditions weren’t much better when I played Na Li in the next round. She reached last year’s final so I knew she’d be tough, but it was a good challenge and a chance to measure myself up against somebody who’s around the world’s top ten. With the court still being wet, I wasn’t going to go hell for leather – there were parts of the court I didn’t think were particularly safe – but I played alright, I had opportunities, I just didn’t take them.
My game’s coming back slowly. I’m not quite at the level I was when I broke the top 50 – I’ve still got some work to do, but I don’t see why I can’t continue to improve. I’ve had six months out and I’m coming back after knee surgery for the second time, it’s not easy for anyone, but its definitely possible. My goal is to play at the 2012 Olympics – I hope to still be playing then. I definitely still think I’m in my prime, so we’ll see.
It was inspiring to see Shiavone winning the French Open – now I can say I’ve beaten a Grand Slam champion! She played some amazing stuff last week, and to win her first Grand Slam coming up to 30 is incredible. Then again, if you look into the girls who have won Grand Slams in recent years they’ve all been over the age of 25, so perhaps I’m just the right age for the game. Right now, though, my main focus is just to stay fit and healthy, stay in one piece, and let the results and ranking take care of themselves.
Anne




