Sam Smith’s Bio

Samantha Smith is a former professional tennis player whose career spanned from 1990 to 2000. As a teenager, she represented Great Britain in the Fed Cup and competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. After two seasons on the WTA Tour, she took a brief hiatus to complete a BA in History at the University of Exeter. Upon her return to professional tennis, she made an impressive run to the last 16 at Wimbledon in 1998, defeating former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez. In February 1999, Samantha reached her highest world ranking of 55, and from 1997 to 2000, she was the British number 1, winning a National Championship and representing Great Britain in the Fed Cup.

After retiring from tennis in 2001, Samantha chose to pursue a career in broadcast media over an offer to study a Masters in International Relations at the University of Cambridge. For more than two decades, she has worked as a tennis commentator for various radio and television networks. A career highlight came in 2019 when she became the first female broadcaster to lead the BBC's coverage of the Ladies Singles Final at Wimbledon. In October 2019, Samantha was diagnosed with Asperger’s by a clinical psychologist specialising in neurodevelopmental differences, and she has been open about her condition in her professional life since November 2023.