EP5 - Annabel Croft on Fear

Annabel is one of Britain’s best loved tennis presenters, and a former British Number One who carried all before her as a junior player. At the age of 18, she won the Junior titles at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and she reached the 3rd round of the main draw at SW19 in the same year. She was considered to be the brightest of British tennis prospects, reaching a career high world ranking of 24. Annabel quit tennis at the age of just 21, at times crippled by fear on court. She describes moments of hyper-ventilation during matches and of a mental freeze that afflicted her, and left her unable to perform. The pressures and strains of expectation, and the loneliness of life on the tennis tour as a young girl took their toll. She sought help from many quarters, including a hypnotherapist. But the fear wouldn’t subside and the unhappiness of tennis competition forced her to call time, many years before she might have reached her peak. ......................................... Running on Emotion hosted by Alastair Eykyn is an original podcast by Eykyn Media for Auddy #runningonemotion Special thanks all of our guests on the show. Host, Alastair Eykyn Series Producer, Andrew Sampson Sound Editor, Norman Goodman Album Art, Nicole Stewart Theme Music by Audio Networks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices