Anne Keothavong facts for kids
Keothavong playing for Great Britain in the Fed Cup in 2013.
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| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Residence | London, England |
| Born | 16 September 1983 Hackney, London |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Turned pro | 2001 |
| Retired | 2013 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $1,303,091 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 418–314 (57.1%) |
| Career titles | 20 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 48 (23 February 2009) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2011) |
| French Open | 1R (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2004, 2008, 2011, 2012) |
| US Open | 3R (2008) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 1R (2012) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 106–159 (40%) |
| Career titles | 8 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 94 (18 April 2011) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2009) |
| French Open | 1R (2009) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2008) |
| US Open | 1R (2008) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2008) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | 22–22 |
Anne Viensouk Keothavong MBE (born 16 September 1983) is a retired British tennis player. She was a top player for Great Britain, winning 20 singles titles and 8 doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit.
Her highest singles ranking was world No. 48, which she reached in February 2009. This made her the first British female player to break into the top 50 since 1993. Keothavong was a key member of Great Britain's Fed Cup team, which is the top international team event in women's tennis.
Keothavong retired from playing professionally on 24 July 2013. She then became a tennis commentator for BT Sport. In 2017, she was named the captain of Great Britain's Fed Cup team. Under her leadership, the team was promoted to a higher group for the first time in 26 years.
Personal life
Anne Keothavong was born in Hackney, London. Her parents came to Britain from Laos, a country in Southeast Asia, in the 1970s. Her father, Somsak, was a big influence on her tennis career and encouraged her to play from a young age. She has two brothers, James and Mark, and a sister, Lena. Her brother James is a professional tennis umpire.
Keothavong started playing tennis when she was seven years old. She preferred playing on hardcourt surfaces.
In 2015, she married Andrew Bretherton. They have a son and a daughter.
Career
Junior years
Keothavong had a successful junior career. She played her first international junior match when she was 12. She won a singles title at a tournament in Bisham Abbey, beating fellow British player Elena Baltacha. One of her best results was reaching the semifinals of the junior tournament at the 2001 Wimbledon Championships.
Early professional career (1998–2007)
Keothavong played her first professional match in 1998 at the age of 14. In the early years, she mostly played on the ITF Women's Circuit, which helps players earn ranking points to get into bigger tournaments. She won her first professional title in 2001.
In April 2001, at just 17 years old, she played for Great Britain in the Fed Cup for the first time. This made her the youngest player ever to represent the British team at the time.
Over the next few years, Keothavong steadily improved her ranking. She won several more ITF titles and began to play in the qualifying rounds of major tournaments like Wimbledon and the Australian Open. In 2004, she won her first-ever match in the main draw of Wimbledon.
In 2007, she had a big success when she reached her first semifinal on the main WTA Tour at the Sunfeast Open in India. By the end of that year, her world ranking was 122.
Breakthrough years (2008–2009)
2008 was a fantastic year for Keothavong. She won two ITF tournaments and reached the final of another. This success pushed her into the world's top 100 players for the first time. This meant she could enter Wimbledon's main draw directly, without needing a special invitation (a "wildcard"). She was the first British woman to do this since 1999.
At the 2008 US Open, she had her best result at a Grand Slam tournament, reaching the third round. She beat Francesca Schiavone, a future French Open champion, along the way. She finished the year ranked 61st in the world.
In 2009, she continued her great form. She reached the semifinals of three WTA Tour events. In February, her ranking climbed to a career-high of No. 48. Unfortunately, her season was cut short by a serious knee injury she suffered in July.
Later career and retirement (2010–2013)
After recovering from her knee injury, Keothavong returned to tennis in 2010. She had some strong results, including reaching the semifinals of the Luxembourg Open.
In 2011, she won two ITF tournaments in a row. She also reached the second round of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. At Wimbledon, she played against the eventual champion, Petra Kvitová.
Keothavong represented Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, playing in both singles and doubles. She played her final professional match at Wimbledon in 2013 and announced her retirement a month later.
Life after tennis
After retiring, Keothavong became a respected tennis expert. She joined the commentary team for BT Sport.
In December 2016, she was named the captain of the Great Britain Fed Cup team. She has been very successful in this role, helping the team achieve its best results in over two decades.
For her services to tennis, Keothavong was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours.
Playing style
Keothavong was known for her powerful forehand. She liked to control the game from the baseline, hitting the ball with a lot of topspin. She also had a strong and reliable first serve, often hitting aces in her matches.
Career finals
WTA Tour finals
Doubles: 1 (runner-up)
| Result | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Mar 2013 | Brasil Tennis Cup | Hard |  Valeria Savinykh |
 Anabel Medina Garrigues Yaroslava Shvedova |
0–6, 4–6 |
ITF Circuit finals
Singles: 30 (20 titles, 10 runner-ups)
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Doubles: 11 (8 titles, 3 runner-ups)
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See also
In Spanish: Anne Keothavong para niños
