Annabel grew up in Kent and went to West Heath School in Sevenoaks — the school at which Diana, Princess of Wales said she spent the happiest days of her life.
At the age of nine Annabel started playing tennis at a local club and her talent was soon spotted. She became the national junior champion for the under-12s, under-14s and under-16s.
Annabel was 15 when she first played at Wimbledon, and she remains the youngest British player to have done so for 95 years. In l985 she won Junior Wimbledon and the Junior Australian championship, and was ranked as one of the top youngsters in the world.
She retired at the age of 21 because she was tired of travelling after seven years on the senior tennis circuit. She has since appeared in pantomime, been the tennis anchor for Eurosport, a pundit for Sky, tennis commentator for the BBC and reporter for GMTV.
Annabel is married to Mel Coleman, a banker and former America’s Cup yachtsman. They have three children: Amber, ten, Charlie, eight, and Lily, six. They are renting a house in Kingston, southwest London, while their old home is being rebuilt.
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How much money do you have in your wallet?
I’ve got £16. During the week I make sure I have enough money to pay Karen, our wonderful cleaning lady, and for childcare.
Every week is different, but I generally go to the cash machine at least twice. I take out £50 to £100 a time, which goes on Karen, parking meters, train fares, taxis in the West End, or a sports lesson for one of the kids.
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Do you have any credit cards?
I have a Mastercard and a Switch debit card. I rarely use the Mastercard, except when I am abroad. I prefer the debit card because it makes me feel in control of my money.
Are you a saver or spender?
I am definitely a saver. I can’t afford not to be, as the expense of bringing up three children is never-ending. Sadly, I have become incredibly safe.
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The only time we splashed out was when we bought our Jaguar XK8, which we sold l8 months ago to pay a tax bill.
As a tennis player, I was always looking to the future, and was too busy to go shopping for designer clothes.
By the time I was 21, I had saved enough to buy a three- bedroom maisonette in Wimbledon village for £150,000. I kept it for 15 years, and it proved a fantastic investment. For six of those years I let it out.
How much did you earn last year?
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My gross income is in six figures, but if I had the same world ranking today that I had in the early 1980s, I would be on a seven-figure salary.
Have you ever been really hard up?
No, I don’t think so. My parents were comfortably off and from the age of 12 I was earning money on the tennis circuit. From l7 or l8 I was self- sufficient, but I would never have achieved that without the financial support of my parents.
When I retired at 21 I wanted to go into the media. I was incredibly lucky to get offers of work almost immediately.
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What is the most lucrative work you have done? Did you use the fee for something special?
In l985 I earned £11,000 for winning a tournament in San Diego. I didn’t rush out to buy new clothes or a car. The money just went back into more tour expenses.
When you travel on the international tennis circuit you may have sponsors, but you still have to fund many of the overheads yourself. You have to pay for hotels, flights, accommodation and meals out, as well as coaching. It is like being on a perpetual holiday.
Do you own a property?
We are building our dream home on the site of our old house. It will be more than 6,500 sq ft, with six bedrooms and five bathrooms.
It is a great opportunity to develop a unique plot close to London, with an acre of garden. The building work is going to take about a year.
Do you invest in shares?
We have in the past, and we did very well, especially with Active Card, a company that was quoted on Easdaq, the former European tech market. We bought the stock at $13 and sold at $60.
When markets dipped in March 2000, Mel and I decided to stop investing further, but we hung on to most of our existing shares. Our portfolio includes British Airways, Vodafone and Reuters.
Do you have a pension, or other retirement plan?
I was encouraged to take out a pension by my father, a chartered surveyor, who brought me up to believe in the benefits of saving early. I started a scheme at 16 and put in lump sums in my teens. I have plans with Standard Life and Scottish Equitable.
Do you believe pensions are a good thing?
I think pensions are crucial, but I am nervous about the current crisis and the effect of Gordon Brown’s £5 billion-a-year tax on pension schemes. To me, the prospects looks pretty bleak.
In some ways I wish I had started drawing a sports pension at 35 and put that money into property.
What has been your worst investment?
Mel and I bought a second property, a three-bedroom semi in Fareham, Hampshire, when interest rates were doubling in l988. I spent countless weeks doing the place up.
We bought at the top of the market, just before it crashed, and eventually managed to sell — at a loss. The last straw was paying the hefty solicitor’s bill, but it was a relief to offload the negative equity.
And your best?
It would be the second home we bought, a five-bedroom detached cottage-style house in Wimbledon. During our time there, from 1994 to 2001, it tripled in value, although we could barely afford the mortgage.
We spent £100,000 on doing it up, but even so we made a huge profit. We could never have saved that much money just by working.
Do you manage your own financial affairs?
I have the same financial adviser that my father has used for the past 30 odd years. I trust him completely.
Since the children came along we have become a lot more aware of finances, and are proactive in instigating meetings on pensions and insurance.
I have been with the same accountant since l991. A sound engineer in the theatre recommended him to me, so he knows the media and theatrical world.
What aspect of our taxation system would you change?
This sounds selfish, but I would give tax relief to parents who opt for private education. I feel that we are paying for both the state and private system out of our taxed income.
What is your financial priority?
To be able to continue to earn enough between us to cover the school fees for three children — which we find extortionate — for the next 10 years. It’s a question of finding £10,000 a term out of disposable income.
I now understand what my own parents went through to put three children through private education. It is a real struggle.
Do you have a money weakness?
In my twenties I loved buying clothes and shoes, especially things in suede.
I remember paying £600 for a suede sarong that I still wear today. Now school fees have curbed my spending.
What is the most extravagant thing you have ever bought?
There are two things. One was a Rolex watch, which was a wedding present for my husband. He had always wanted one and still wears it now.
The other extravagance was the five-bedroom house we bought in a quiet private road two years ago. It was a l960s shocker — a disgusting, flooded wreck. We have just spent £5,000 demolishing it. Now we own a very expensive piece of space.
Do you play the lottery? What if you won?
I went in for the very first draw for the novelty factor, but there are other things I would rather spend £1 on, like parking in Kingston.
If I came into £5m I would put most of it into property, including a holiday home abroad.
What is the most important lesson you have learnt about money?
You need money to make money, so take out the biggest mortgage you can afford while you are young.