Laura Robson interview: What it is like to run a tennis tournament – when it rains

“I’ve gone from a weird world as a tennis player, into also a weird world in media – it’s never a sure thing,” she says. “The fact I can have more strings to my bow makes me feel a lot calmer. Even if I’m crazy busy and stressed, I prefer it that way. I’ve been very lucky that I’ve got Sky, but that can go before you know it and I might never work in TV again. So if things don’t go as I’d hope, I know I’ll be fine. It’s why I sought out these roles, so I’m not relying on other people to pick me, to be honest.”

Her post-retirement career has been diverse so far, considering she is still younger than many of the players on tour. The main challenge she has found is adjusting to an office setting, in particular at the All England Club, where she admits to feeling some imposter syndrome: “Sometimes I do feel a little out of my depth. I don’t have a university degree, I was homeschooled from 11 to 16, all the important years! 

It’s normal in the tennis world, but if you’re in an office and everyone’s really smart, I am still a little afraid to speak up. Even writing a very professionally sounding email, you’re really overthinking your sign-off. I wouldn’t do that if I was emailing a coach or working in TV, but because it’s Wimbledon it’s just a little bit smarter, fancier, which you would expect because the club’s got so much history. It’s that aura.”

There are moments she has felt underestimated too, being a former player or perhaps because she is a young woman. “Maybe a little bit on the player relations side at Wimbledon, more than any other job,” she says. “I’ve known so many people at the club since I was like 14, that a lot of them were like, ‘You’re still a baby’. There was a lot of that.”