LAURA Robson welcomes the pressure that accompanies her new-found fame after completing her "overwhelming" march into the Wimbledon girls' final.
The 14-year-old is the last British individual standing at the All England Club after overpowering crafty Slovakian Romana Tabakova 6-2, 7-5 on a packed Court Three yesterday.
Pundits have been showering Robson with praise as she seeks to become
the nation's first winner of the Wimbledon girl's title since Annabel Croft in 1984.
And the Australian-born Londoner, the youngest player at SW19 this year, is taking the expectation in her stride. "I try not to think about what people are saying," she said. "But it's nice in a way because it means that everyone's thinking you are really good so I'm taking it as a compliment. This time next year I'd like to be playing seniors and if I win (today] I'll be considered for a wild card for next year's Wimbledon. That would be really good."
American top seed Melanie Oudin and Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski, the ninth seed, have already fallen victim to Robson, who has yet to drop a set.
But she faces another tough test in today's final when she locks horns with Thai third seed Noppawan Lertcheewakarn.
"It feels really, really good to get this far. It's an overwhelming experience," Robson said. "There were so many people watching me. The crowd and the support is really, really good. It means so much for me to reach the final."
Tabakova's lack of sportsmanship was exposed in the eighth game of the second set when she bamboozled the home favourite with a sly underhand serve. The tactic left Robson stranded at the baseline and earned the scheming Slovakian a chorus of boos from unimpressed spectators. "That was the first time I've ever seen that in my life. But it worked, so fair play to her," said Robson.
Robson's remarkable maturity on court is matched only by her growing comfort with the media duties that have escalated since her sensational run to the final. But her excitement at the possibility of getting dressed up for the champions' ball demonstrated she is, in some ways, still just a normal 14-year-old girl. "I'll just do my usual routine before the final – I'll have dinner at home and then not do much in the evening," she said. "But I'm really looking forward to it because I get to pick out a dress and stuff for the champions'
The full article contains 422 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
