“I just always have to say yes”: Laura Robson moves from Aussie Open to Winter Olympics debut

Former Olympic silver medallist Laura Robson is preparing for a new challenge as a sports commentator — but this time, not in tennis. She will cover the Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, marking her first assignment exclusively dedicated to a sport outside of tennis.

The well-known British commentator has been a mainstay at Sky Sports recently and joined TNT Sports to cover the Aussie Swing, including the United Cup. She will also cover the Australian Open in Melbourne, the first major of the year.

“I flew to Australia just before Christmas and will stay out there until the end of the AO (Australian Open). I’m working for TNT on the Aussie Open,” Robson said in an interview with The Sun. “It’s a very quick turnaround. I think I land from Australia on February 3rd and leave the next day to Milan-Cortina. When I signed up for it I knew what I was in for, and you just always have to say yes when it’s anything Olympics-related.”

“Like the Summer Olympics was one of, if not the best things I was a part of. So it was a no-brainer for me to do the Winter Games as well,” the former world No. 27 added. “My technique and thought process is: if I pack a Winter Olympics suitcase before I leave for Australia, then at least for the 24 hours that I’m at home, I’m not spending the whole time unpacking and repacking,” she explained.

“Initially there was some talk about potentially going straight there from Melbourne. I was like: ‘I can’t wrap my head around that. I need at least one night to decompress and change sports in my head.’ Because the AO is so full-on,” she added. “You just need that plane journey home to reset and then go again. It’s going to be hectic but in the best way.”

The former Wimbledon junior champion expressed excitement about this new challenge, which will see her spend nearly two months away from her London home — moving from the Australian summer to the Italian winter, with a 10-hour time difference between Melbourne and Milan.

“I’m very lucky, maybe it’s a skill that I’ve developed over many, many years of travelling now. Sleep is one of my greatest strengths. On the way back from Australia last year, so it was 10 hours to Hong Kong, I slept that entire journey,” Robson said. “Got off the flight, went on the next flight, which was like another 13 hours, slept that entire journey as well.”

“People maybe don’t realise quite how long the days are in Melbourne. We’re there before the day session starts. And then at the end of the night, you’re there until like two or three o’clock. So you just kind of get on this run of energy when you’re in the tournament, but then on the way home, try and catch up on as much sleep as possible.”

Once the Australian Open concludes on 1 February, Robson will quickly travel to Italy, aiming to be settled in Cortina by 3 February. The Olympic action kicks off on 6 February, with a month full of winter sports. “When I get to Cortina, the atmosphere is going to be so good,” she said. “Just the energy around every single site and every single place that we’re going to be out and about at. It’s going to carry me through for sure. It’s all new for me.”

“All the sports that I’ve watched over many years just being a fan of the Winter Olympics, and then to see it in action, I’m absolutely desperate to get to even some of the ones that I won’t be working on,” she added. “Because of the technical skill set, all the fine-tuning that they do, let’s say in figure skating, it blows my mind. That’s what I loved about the Summer Olympics as well. Each day when I finished work, I was going off to other events and trying to soak up as much other sport as possible."

"You get so hyped about all the different stories. Every day is like the best day of someone’s life somewhere," Robson commented. “My job is more to bring out the atmosphere, the major stories and the personalities of the people competing as well in a way. No-one would ever want to hear my thoughts on technical stuff that I know nothing about.”