Annabel Croft

Annabel Croft is a former British tennis champion, broadcaster and keynote speaker whose career spans elite sport, prime-time television and live performance. A natural communicator with warmth and authority, she first rose to prominence as the 1984 Junior Wimbledon Champion and Junior Australian Open Champion, becoming one of the most exciting prospects British tennis had produced in decades. Her ability to translate high performance sport into engaging, human stories has since made her a trusted voice on screen and a compelling presence on stage, equally comfortable addressing corporate audiences, conference delegates and live theatre crowds.

Annabel’s early career was shaped by rapid success and unusual responsibility at a young age. She began playing tennis aged nine and progressed quickly through the junior ranks, guided by coach Derek Bone. At just 15 years old, she became the youngest British player in almost a century to compete in the Wimbledon main draw, an experience that accelerated her maturity and independence. Her education took place largely on the international tennis circuit, where constant travel and competition offered formative lessons in discipline, adaptability and resilience. By the mid-1980s, Annabel had established herself on the professional tour, combining technical skill with a natural ease in front of spectators and cameras that hinted at the second career to come.

Her professional achievements across sport, media and business are both extensive and distinctive. As a player, Annabel won the Virginia Slims of San Diego WTA title, represented Great Britain in the Fed Cup and Wightman Cup, and reached a career-high WTA world ranking of 24, later becoming British Number One. After retiring from tennis at 21, she successfully reinvented herself in broadcasting, building long-standing relationships with the BBC, Sky Sports, Eurosport, Radio 5 Live and Amazon Prime Video UK. She has covered all four Grand Slams, hosted Live@Wimbledon, and conducted on-court interviews at the Ladies’ and Men’s Finals. Her television work also includes fronting Channel 4’s Treasure Hunt, ITV’s Interceptor, and appearing in the BBC’s award-winning ‘Famous, Rich and Homeless’. In recognition of her sporting values, she received the IC of GB Sportsmanship Award. In 2023, Annabel reached the Strictly Come Dancing semi-finals and toured nationwide with ‘Strictly Live’, later drawing on this experience in her acclaimed one-woman show ‘Tennis Balls to Glitter Balls’.

As a keynote speaker, Annabel brings authenticity, insight and genuine connection. She speaks on high performance, resilience, career transition, wellbeing, leadership under pressure and life after elite sport, blending personal experience with practical lessons. As Co-Founder of the Annabel Croft Tennis Academy, and a passionate advocate for health, fitness and child obesity awareness, her talks carry relevance beyond inspiration alone. Audiences value her honesty, humour and clarity, leaving with renewed perspective and confidence, whether navigating change, striving for excellence or redefining success on their own terms.