Tennis legend and former Wimbledon champion Annabel Croft is set to visit Braintree as part of her UK tour.
The sports star will be at the Institute Theatre on November 13 to talk about her new show, “Annabel Croft: From Tennis Balls to Glitter Balls”.
Ms Croft was the youngest Brit in nearly a century to play in the Wimbledon main draw.
At just 21 years old, she made the decision to step away from professional tennis to seek new challenges.
Her new show will see her take a look back at her life so far, from the tennis courts to the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom.
Ms Croft said: “I’m excited to share my tennis, broadcasting, and dancing experiences.
“A teacher once asked me to write an essay called ‘What I Would Like To Do’.
“I said I wanted to play tennis, win Wimbledon, make journeys around the world and dance on stage.
“I did play tennis at Wimbledon and win the Open Girls’ tournament, as well as travelling the world playing tournaments.
“I also got to take part in Strictly Come Dancing.
“In between, there’s been highs and lows, laughs and tears, but every day has been part of life’s learning experience.
“Not everyone is lucky enough to see their childhood dreams come true, so I hope 11-year-old Annabel would think I’ve not done too badly.”
Now, she’s excited at the prospect of setting off on her one-woman tour.
She will give audiences a glimpse behind the scenes of great tennis tournaments, and share moments from her career, including interviews with tennis legends Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Annabel will also be transporting audiences to the glitz and glamour of Strictly, when she wowed audiences to the semi-final with dance partner Johannes Radebe.
Her dancing experience was only a few months after the death of her husband Mel.
She says that despite some questions over her decision to join the show, it turned out to be the “perfect tonic”.
She added: “I hadn’t appreciated how good things like dancing or yoga are for people dealing with grief.”
