By Nick Carter
Usually, the tributes to players you find on Popcorn Tennis are about players who are either established champions (like Owen’s excellent series on the Big Three or Scott tracking Andy Murray’s journey) or tipped for greatness (like Owen’s piece on Carlos Alcaraz or my own attempt to look at Coco Gauff’s prospects). As the grass court season is now underway, the British tennis fan in me wants to engage in some nostalgia. Let’s face it, no other surface triggers those kinds of emotions in the same way, given the sport technically originated as “Lawn Tennis”. It has hit me that it is 10 years since the last high point of one of my old favourite players, and 15 years since the moment she is most remembered for.
I suspect Laura Robson does not get much thought outside of tennis history nerds, British sports enthusiasts, or seasoned members of the fan community. Let’s list her accomplishments for younger fans or those who may have forgotten: she won the silver medal in mixed doubles at the 2012 London Olympics, was the 2008 Wimbledon Junior Singles Champion, reached the doubles final in Miami, reached a 250 final in singles, was a 3-time ITF champion and reached the second week of a major twice (the 2012 U.S. Open and 2013 Wimbledon). She reached a career high ranking of 27 in singles and scored four top ten wins.
All this before she turned 20. It is interesting watching her back and seeing how young she was during the high point of her career.
In many ways, Robson is almost the perfect example of a promising young tennis player whose career was derailed by injuries or other external factors. There have been many women who made a big impact by reaching the second week of a major as a teenager (a less common appearance on the men’s side), yet a good percentage were never able to launch a career that would take them to the peak of the game. Ana Konjuh is a very recent example of this, who made such a big impact by reaching the 2016 U.S. Open quarter-finals at 18 but has struggled to return from an injury she incurred soon after. Similarly, after all her success in 2012 and 2013, a wrist injury side-lined Robson. As she tried to come back, a recurring hip issue limited her progress and she struggled to get matches on the WTA Tour. In fact, the hip issue required three surgeries before Robson realised she was unable to continue a career as a professional tennis player and retired in 2022 aged 28. She had played her final professional match at an ITF in Sunderland three years before.
It is so easy to wonder what could have been for Robson. She had a big-hitting left-handed game, with such a clean stroke on the forehand that enabled her to produce incredible winners and one of the fastest serves on tour. Yet, she also seemed to somehow get herself in position to get any ball. Her match against Petra Kvitova at the 2013 Australian Open was almost like watching tennis played across a mirror. She had a big match mentality to match her game. In the same match, she took the game to Kvitova, broke serve late in the third set with an incredible return winner, and won a tight decider 11-9. If she could win matches against top players like that she could go far.
However, the stats suggest that she still had a lot of development to go. She was getting big wins against top players and by the end of 2013 nearly all of her losses that year were against very accomplished players. Yet, despite being in the top ten for points won behind first serve, she only won 49% of her matches in 2013. This isn’t surprising for a young athlete, as consistency is a trait that is often learned over years. There are many players with big games who struggle to consistently play their best. There’s no guarantee Robson would have conquered that had she been able to stay injury-free. That being said, her peak would likely have come around the late 2010s when there were plenty of chances for success on the WTA Tour, with Serena Williams on maternity leave and no one able to consistently fill the vacuum at the top as the new generation was starting to break through.
Those who know me well might be surprised that I would describe myself as a Laura Robson fan. I tend to prefer watching players whose games aren’t necessarily based around power, like Iga Świątek, Leylah Fernandez, Emma Raducanu, Daria Kasatkina or Karolina Muchová. However, remember the first player I became a fan of was Roger Federer. I am an admirer of ruthless efficiency in tennis, and Robson at her best was very much that. Elena Rybakina would also fit into this category for me, and her game has a lot of power behind it. If anyone wants to accuse me of British bias I would say it would be a fair point and it is a big factor, at least in how I first was introduced to her.
I first heard of Laura Robson when she won the Wimbledon Junior title and the British media got very excited about her prospects as a long-awaited home champion in the main event. Now, I did get caught up in the hype and was very pleased to see her start to deliver in 2012. I am the same age as Laura Robson (give or take a few months) so it was like we were growing up parallel to each other, though on very different paths. Furthermore, I remember my mum telling me she was homeschooled, which I also was. It was cool to see someone with what I felt was a similar background be in the limelight. Now, I realise most young players have to be homeschooled, or more accurately have to remote learn whilst on the road, but I was still getting into tennis and didn’t know that at the time.
When I pick a player, I will stick with them no matter what (as most fans do). If I were to transport my current self back in time, I would still be a fan of Laura, not only because of her ruthless efficiency but also her incredible wins over Kim Clijsters (in the match that sent the Belgian into her second retirement), Li Na and Petra Kvitová in the 2012 US Open and 2013 Australian Open. They were well fought, tight matches, with the established major champions refusing to give up until the last ball. Yet Robson outhit them and was more clutch. Gritty wins that Andy Murray (her doubles partner in that mixed doubles silver medal run) would be proud of. They were enthralling to watch, and if I wasn’t hooked on her story before, I was after that. She helped get a teenager obsessed with the ATP ‘Big Four’ to care more about the women’s game, and now I won’t shut up about how great it is.
In an episode of Talking Tennis WTA Weekly, Caitlin Thompson spoke about how we should appreciate player’s stories regardless of whether they win a major. One name that came up was Kaia Kanepi, who is known for achieving the ‘Grand Slam’ of quarterfinals and pulling off upsets against top players early in draws. She is a great player, can produce a high level and is a lot of fun to have in a draw. The Estonian has a few fans and is highly respected for what she has achieved over her career. Coincidentally, Kanepi was the player who ended Robson’s last big run at a major, beating her in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2013. It was another impressive run for Laura, especially given that she beat world number 10 Maria Kirilenko in her opening match.
So, let’s appreciate Robson not for what she could have been but who she was: a plucky young player who was able to produce an incredible level on the biggest stages. As we should for players like Konjuh too. And, let’s continue to appreciate her for what she’s doing now. Laura is a fantastic commentator and regarded by many fans as one of the very best working right now. Her knowledge of the sport gives her some really interesting insights which she communicates so well. She is also the tournament director for the Nottingham Open, which is underway at time of writing. It is fair to say that so many fans are responding very positively to how the event has been organised and the experience of attending it. Rest assured, I will be looking to visit in the future.
As part of my appreciation for Laura Robson, here are some of the best memories I have of watching her: I remember when she reached the final of a 250 in Guangzhou, leading by a break over Hsieh Su-Wei in the deciding set before eventually losing to the popular player from Taipei. After her heroics at the Olympics and the U.S. Open, Eurosport swooped in to broadcast the match. So, I got up early to watch the low-resolution live pictures of who at the time was my favourite female player trying to win her first WTA Title. I remember the excitement as she fought her way to the fourth round of Wimbledon, coming back against Marina Erakovic in Round Three. To be honest I was more excited about her performances than I was about Andy Murray (well, until we got to the actual final). In the Olympic mixed doubles final, It was so tense watching Laura and Andy come up just two points short. The battle with Kvitová in Australia was an epic, brilliant battle. This wasn’t a surprise given she defeated Kim Clijsters at the U.S. Open in 2012. Then, she followed it up with beating Li Na and battling Sam Stosur. I was in shock, but also so excited. This was the moment Laura truly showed us what she can do. It is these moments that I choose to think about when remembering her career. They are all good memories for me, and I hope they are for her too.
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