On tour with Anne: Reflecting on 2011

Anne looks back on a strong finish to 2011 - where she won 16 of her last 17 matches to win ITF titles in Barnstaple and Ismaning - and outlines her goals for 2012

When I look back at my results during the tail-end of 2011 it feels really, really good to see so many wins against my name.

I was a 'lucky loser' and then won a round at a WTA event in Linz, Austria, qualified and reached the semi-finals at another strong WTA event in Luxembourg the week after – where I beat Ana Ivanovic along the way – and ended the year with back-to-back singles and doubles titles at a couple of big ITF events. Those results meant a jump of around 30 places in the world rankings from just outside the top 100 to No.73 which puts me in a great position going into 2012.

In terms of my performances on court, once I got a few matches under my belt I began to feel more confident. Playing on indoor hard courts works to my advantage in terms of my strengths and it’s where I’m at my most comfortable. They play quite fast, which I like, and growing up in London I guess I got used to playing indoors a lot because of the weather! In addition, I always feel I move really well indoors and that’s another of my strengths.

One of my aims going into the indoor season was to keep focusing on going for my serve and it was a shot that worked well for me during that period. Since I started working with my coach, Jeremy Bates, earlier this year, he’s always encouraged me to be aggressive with my serve.

Outdoors, I’ve found it frustrating when my first serve percentages haven’t been as high as they should be and it’s hard as a player when you’re not making a shot as much as you know you can. But throughout the indoor season I felt my serve was much more effective.

Looking back, one of my most significant wins was in the first round of the qualifying at the WTA event in Luxembourg. I’d arrived late the night before after a grind of a journey from Linz, and I found myself 4-2 down in the third set against a girl from Ukraine. I somehow managed to win that 6-4 in the third, won another two matches to qualify for the main draw, beat Ivanovic in straight sets in the second round and ended up reaching the semi-finals.

If I’d lost that first match of the week, I’d still be ranked outside the top 100, which means I’d probably have to qualify for the Australian Open instead of getting straight into the main draw which is now the case. Sometimes it’s a fine line between success and failure in professional tennis.

For some time now, my biggest goal for 2012 has been to be ranked high enough by the summer to qualify for the Olympics. I need to be around No.60 in the world by the grass court season. When I sat down with Jeremy to discuss my goals just after the US Open when my ranking was outside the top 100 I said to myself, ‘OK, I need to do something good here to be in with a shout,’ and I feel much more confident of my chances of making it now.

Being a bit higher in the rankings also means I can plan my 2012 schedule a lot easier now – my ranking guarantees me entry into most WTA ‘International’ events, and some of the ‘Premier’ events too – and it also takes the pressure off a little bit at the start of the season when I travel to Australia. In January this year I won a round at a WTA event in Auckland and then qualified and won a round at the Australian Open so I have a few ranking points to defend early in the new year.

As well as making the Olympic squad, I’ll be trying to continue to focus on my performances rather than concentrating too much on ranking goals next year. I believe that if you’re performing well then eventually you’ll get the wins and your ranking will take care of itself. My indoor season has proved that.

Until then, have a great Christmas and new year and I hope to see you somewhere on tour in 2012!

Anne's 2011 by numbers