MANY people are under the impression that the next fortnight will tell us much about Laura Robson. To my way of thinking we already know enough to believe she has the attributes to go all the way, but the next couple of years will give us a clearer indication of her true potential.
There is nothing wrong with awarding Robson a wild card into Wimbledon's main draw at the age of 15. It's not a case of pushing her into the spotlight prematurely. She is not only ready for the test but would have been extremely upset if she had not been handed a place among those 128 players.
She is the junior champion and earned that honour at a very young age, which means she is a special player. In most cases the player who wins the girls' event at a Grand Slam is better than many of the older players who lose in the first couple of rounds in the adult event.
Robson has played on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. She did well in a couple of International Tennis Federation women's events. She has beaten players who are infinitely more experienced than her and seems to enjoy being tipped for great things. Going into the Championships she must make several rules for herself, the most important of which is not listening to what people might say or write about her.
Perhaps she will win a round or two but if she doesn't, it shouldn't be regarded as a catastrophe. Anyone who makes any assumptions from what happens to her at Wimbledon is drawing false conclusions. This is merely the prologue to her Grand Slam career. She could easily mature into a top 10 player and it's not beyond the realms of possibility to believe she could be Britain's first female Grand Slam champion since Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in 1977.
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She's got the shots, she's left-handed, which makes her a tricky opponent, and she has a winner's mind. That much we have already witnessed.
What remains to be seen is whether the youngster can take the pressure of a nation expecting too much too soon and whether those around her provide the best advice and support. From what I understand, her parents are not going to push her too hard and her management company are protective.
Robson did not play for several months after reaching the junior final at January's Australian Open because she experienced a growth spurt and suffered all those adolescent pains connected with sprouting several inches in height. I applaud the decision to keep her away from competition because playing during that time would have done more harm than good.
Many is the young player we've seen over the years who has not felt up to playing but has been cajoled onto court by their parents or coach. This is wrong and I support the age rules the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour instigated several years ago in an attempt to prevent young players from burning out prior to realising their full potential.
Britain would, of course, love to see Robson win the ladies' singles at Wimbledon one day, but let nobody forget the story of Amelie Mauresmo at the French Open. Mauresmo might have gone on to become a Grand Slam champion in foreign parts but she got frightened very early on by all the expectation at Roland Garros. Mauresmo is nearly 30 years old now and just a few weeks ago failed on the courts of Paris yet again, the former top-ranked Frenchwoman tamely losing 6-4 6-3 in the first round to Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld.
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Let that be a lesson to anyone who expects too much too soon from Robson.
- Martina Navratilova is an ambassador for HSBC. Vote for your champion at wimbledon.org/ hsbcchampions