June, 19th 2009
Wimbledon
The prodigy of all grass-court prodigies is Jennifer Capriati, who, at 14, competed in the 1990 Championships, becoming the youngest player
in the modern era to appear at the All England Club.
Laura Robson, 15, will next week become the youngest player since Martina Hingis in 1995, and the youngest British competitor of the modern, professional
era, and Capriati's advice to the Londoner is to "go out there and enjoy every minute" of it on the grass.
Robson, who has been given a wild card into the tournament proper as a reward for winning last summer's junior competition, has been paired in the first
round with Daniela Hantuchova, a former world No 5 and Wimbledon quarter-finalist.
Capriati said that Robson must try to forget where she is playing.
"My advice to Laura Robson when she plays in the women's tournament at Wimbledon for the first time is to go out there and enjoy every minute as, when
it comes down to it, a court at Wimbledon is just another court, so don't let the whole experience overtake you so you can't perform. I know that's easy for
a veteran to say, but that's what she has to try to do," Capriati said.
On her first visit to the All England Club, 19 years ago, Capriati won three matches, making the fourth round, before she was beaten by Germany's Steffi
Graf.
"I remember when I played at Wimbledon for the first time, as it was the moment of all moments for me. I couldn't believe I was actually there at
Wimbledon participating when I had watched on TV for so many years. It was a dream come true for me. It absolutely wasn't a daunting experience for me being
so young. I savoured the moment. I was nervous, but I was more excited and happy than anything else. Robson must go out there and enjoy it."
Anne Keothavong, the leading British female, is ranked high enough to have gained direct acceptance into the draw for the second successive year, and she
plays Austria's Patricia Mayr.
All the other British females needed wild cards, with Georgie Stoop drawn against Vera Zvonareva, the Russian seventh seed, Elena Baltacha to face
Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko, Katie O'Brien to play Czech Iveta Benesova, and Mel South to open against France's Mathilde Johansson.
The Williams sisters are on opposite sides of the draw, so Venus and Serena could contest the final for the second consecutive summer. Venus, who will be
attempting to win the Venus Rosewater Dish for the third year in succession, will open her tournament against Switzerland's Stefanie Voegele.
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