LAURA ROBSON should be allowed to grow up and develop her career in peace, according to the last British woman to win Wimbledon.
The 14-year old become the first British player since Annabel Croft to claim the girl's singles title at the All England Club.
Robson has charmed the media with her easy-going and confident nature – giggling and joking through press conferences an
d even poking fun at hardened hacks.
But Virginia Wade – who won the women's singles title in 1977 – is concerned about the level of expectation already being heaped on her slender shoulders.
"The expectation is so premature, although Laura has made a fantastic start and she has obviously got so much potential," she said. "Everyone is desperate for a new star. They want to latch on to someone who shows great promise but this whole thing is what upsets the applecart with the British players.
"She's only 14 and has won junior Wimbledon but I can see people thinking that if she gets into the main draw next year she's going to win it. The key for her is to get priorities right. Remember to do what you should be doing to improve, to play good matches and then you try to keep a buffer between yourself and the media.
"It can get quite sensitive – you'll get criticism and you can feel they're against you when it might not be so. I'd like there to be a filter between her and the media. You have to find a way of it not affecting you emotionally directly."
Success on the junior circuit does not always translate when players graduated to the senior tours. Amelie Mauresmo and Martina Hingis both won the girl's title before moving on to enjoy the same success at senior level – but in the last ten years not a single junior Wimbledon winner has won a senior Grand Slam title.
The full article contains 328 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
