INSIDER INTEL: LAURA ROBSON

The tennis season is well and truly back and the tournaments on TV are brightening up every fan’s box. One of the faces they’ll most be familiar with is Laura Robson, the former World No. 27 and one-time junior Wimbledon winner who’s become one of Sky Sports Tennis’s most valuable new commentators thanks to the extra insight she brings from such recent time on tour and having so many friends still in the locker room. After Laura touched back down in London following commentating duties at the Australian Open, we caught up with her to find out about her broadcast heroes, who to watch in 2025 and which restaurant to go to in Rome if you want to eat next to the pro’s.

BAGEL: What's the transition from playing to commentating on the tour been like?

LAURA ROBSON: It’s certainly a lot easier commentating than playing. Overall though, the transition has been longer than people think. Even before I retired I was doing radio trying to develop some skills. Even before I retired, there were probably two, three years where I was consistently working on radio or doing a bit of TV commentary, so that made me feel a lot more comfortable when making the transition. I like to make sure that I'm as informed as possible, because when I was playing, and I was listening to commentary, I'd always feel like they didn't know me that well or they didn't get what I was trying to work on. So I make sure that I'm still talking to a lot of the players and I stay up to date on what they've done in the off-season.

B: Who have been your commentating role models and who’s given you great advice along the way?

LR: Gigi Salmon [her co-presenter]. We were both on the radio for such a long time together and she taught me so many different skills. Then Jim Courier was always my favourite player-commentator when I was playing, I tried to emulate the process he goes through, going into a job. Eventually I had to figure out my own identity, but if I get even a small percentage of his vibe, then I'm good.

B: Who are you most excited about watching this year?

LR: Definitely Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider. The fact that they play doubles together as well, you can see how much they enjoy each other's company and it's translated into their singles as well. Last year, Diana was super underrated. She's quite close to the top 10. I feel like this is gonna be the year she breaks through. It’s amazing to think that she was still debating whether to go to college a few weeks ago and then all of a sudden, she reached third round of the AO. On the men's side, João Fonseca gets people really excited about tennis because of the way he absolutely launches his forehand, but he’s also such a super nice boy off court and really polite.

 

B: What are the hidden tournament gems that you love commentating at during the season?

LR: I will always big up Rome with Campo Centrale and that sunken court, which in terms of atmosphere, is one of the best in tennis. Then on top of that, there's one restaurant, Taverna Trilussa that every player goes to. It’s like a second player lounge. Once the tournament gets going, it’s got a real neighbourhood vibe. I first went there was a 15-year-old because another player took me there and I've been taking all the Brits there the last few years. I would say Tokyo too. It’s a big fave of a lot of players because they treat them so nicely. They get back into their hotel room and there's little gifts and they make them feel really valued.

B. Finally, who ends the year #1?

LR: You never know what's gonna happen with Sinner, but if he's able to play, then I think he's the obvious choice for the men's side. The women's is a lot more interesting but I think Iga Światek gets back to number.

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