Something you might not know about me...

I actually really enjoy watching sport. This is something that often surprises people but I am quite fond of sticking the TV on and watching some sport or other and like to go and see live sport when I can too. I am not a sporty person myself but I think I am just impressed that there are humans out there than can perform these amazing feats of strength and stamina.

This week I have been especially impressed with Leicester City winning the Premier League. This football club were at the bottom of the table and just scraped out of the relegation zone last season. This season has seen them consistently draw and win against huge teams like Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal. It was an interesting season as Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs) were able to get to second and were serious contenders to take the top spot from Leicester. This was also unexpected as it is usually teams like Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd or Liverpool that you expect to see at the top. The team spirit at Leicester is amazing and I have been impressed that they have done things like go for pizza together after each win. The players are interesting too. You have Jamie Vardy who just always seems to find the back of the net but also has a laddish bad-boy streak to him. There is also my favourite player, Shinji Okazaki, who scored an amazing bicycle kick the other month and who recently confessed he has developed a love of fish and chips.

On top of this I have to add that I was a born and raised Chelsea supporter. They were my Dad's local team growing up and as I am a daddy's girl I supported them too. I have moved to Southampton with my Saint's loving fiance and we can easily get to their ground, St Mary's, so we regularly see them play. As I love all things Japanese, and Saints have a Japanese defender called Maya Yoshida (who it turns out is quite fit) I like to wind up my fiance about him and so I have a Saints shirt, switched to supporting Saints (well they are my local team anyway) and had Yoshida's name put on the back of the shirt.

Shinji Okazaki scores a bicycle kick against Newcastle

Fit Japanese defender for Saints, Maya Yoshida

The other sport I really love is tennis. I confess that I hated it until I was about 14 and then I just understood all the rules and absolutely loved it. It was the semi-final of Wimbledon and Tim Henman was playing the wild card Goran Ivanisevic. It kept getting rained off (because there was no roof on Centre Court yet) and eventually Ivanisevic went on to win and then one the title against all the odds. It was exciting and so much fun. Since then I have loved it. My first tennis crush was Andy Roddick too. The big serving American was fun to watch and not a bad looking lad (which at 16 was important you see). After that came my current love, Rafael Nadal. He looked to be the only person who could stop Roger Federer in his tracks and it made for one of the best rivalries in recent times. The Wimbledon 2008 final was probably the best ever and went on for hours. Again, rain played its part as each break of play came at a crucial time for one player or another. Finally, after about 8 hours and with the light fading, Nadal played a shot which Federer could not return. The ball went crashing into the net and my Mum and I (my love of tennis came from her) went crazy! Don't even get me started about GB winning the Davis Cup or Andy Murray winning Wimbledon in 2013 (I lost my voice screaming then) or his gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. My birthday treat for my 30th is to go to the ATP Tour Final which is the top 8 men in the world playing at the O2 Arena in London. I am going on my birthday and cannot wait to finally see some live tennis!

Rafa Nadal beats Federer in 5 sets at Wimbledon Final 2008

(includes that shot I mentioned which goes into the net)

It isn't all about me fancying different sports people though I have a great respect for the people that can achieve these things. In my time I have been a fan of F1 racing (the year Schumacher first won for Ferrari was brilliant and I hope he can recover somewhat from his skiing accident). Then there is gymnastics as the men and women who do that have such grace and control. It was so exciting to see Team GB beat the best in the world (China and Japan) in the men's tournament for gymnastics last October.

Then there is the athletics. I am always stunned by the sprinters and at the same time the stamina long distance runners have. Mo Farah is unbelievable and how he could do the 10,000m gold and less than a week later win the 5,000m gold at the 2012 Olympics is beyond me. 

I also enjoy watching the swimming, the rowing and the diving. Anything in water really is fascinating to me because I am not the world's greatest swimmer but I do enjoy it quite a bit.

The Olympics are always great and so are the major football tournaments. We are spoiled for choice this summer with the Euros coming up and the Olympics in Brazil. I can't wait for all that. First there is the French Open and Wimbledon to get through with the tennis and my favourite smaller grass tournament (mini-Wimbledon I call it) at Queen's as a warm up for some of the male players.

The thing I love about the Olympics is getting to see sports you don't often get to see like white water rafting or archery. There is so much out there that we don't get to see. I also love the Paralympics as it is always incredible to see what people can do when they put their minds to it and that nothing can stop you if you want something enough. 

I don't know where this love of sport comes from. Maybe it fills a sense of satisfaction somewhere, that competitiveness that is within us all as a basic survival thing. Maybe I just find it entertaining. I don't know. All I know is that people are often surprised when I tell them how much I love sport and find it so interesting.