Keothavong hangs up her racket

 

Originally published on: 25/07/13 00:00

The former British No.1, who reached a career-high ranking of No.48 in 2009, has made 13 consecutive main draw appearances at Wimbledon, despite suffering career-threatening knee injuries.

The 29-year-old, whose best performance at a Grand Slam came at the 2008 US Open when she reached the third round, reached her first WTA doubles final in Florianopolis with Valeria Savinykh earlier this year.

She will now pursue a career in broadcasting after confirming she will join Martina Navratilova at BT Sport.  

"I have given my decision a lot of thought and I believe this is the right time to move on to the next stage of my career," Keothavong said. "I have had some magical moments along the way and I would like to thank my family for their unwavering support and encouragement, the LTA for their fantastic backing, my coach Jeremy Bates and also Nigel Sears who have both been very influential in my tennis career and of course, the great tennis fans in Britain and all over the world.

"I think I am leaving tennis in excellent shape with both Laura Robson and Heather Watson leading the way for Britain in the women's game. I am now focusing on my exciting new challenge with BT Sport."

Keothavong, who was the only Brit to reach a WTA semi-final between 1992 and 2012, won 20 singles titles on the ITF circuit.

“Anne has been a true ambassador for British tennis, both on and off the court during her entire career,” LTA chief executive Roger Draper said.

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