Fourteen-year-old Laura Robson gave Britain a rare Wimbledon title on Saturday and then insisted she’s a proud Brit and not an Aussie, despite being born in Melbourne, Australia.
Robson, the youngest player in the tournament, defeated Thailand’s Noppawan Lertcheewakarn 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the girls’ singles final to become the first home winner of junior Wimbledon since Annabel Croft in 1984.
She then drew wild applause from the British media when she rebuffed an Australian reporter’s query as to whether or not she felt Australian.
PHOTO: EPA
“No, not really,” said Robson, who left Australia at just 18-months-old when her father, a leading oil company executive, moved the family to Singapore.
The Robsons then arrived in England when she was six.
Robson, who lives around the corner from the All England Club, was roared on by a 10,000-strong crowd on Court One.
She swept through the first set against the third-seeded Lertcheewakarn and was a break ahead in the second set before nerves crept in.
A double fault handed the 16-year-old Thai the break back, before Lertcheewakarn broke again to lead 5-3 on her way to leveling the final.
The players exchanged early breaks in the decider, before Robson went on to claim four successive games to take the championship.
“If someone had told me before Wimbledon that I would win the title, I’d have said they were stupid,” the champion said.
Robson’s next engagement is a trip to the Wimbledon Champions Ball, although she won’t be accompanied by dream date Marat Safin.
“Marat sent me a letter. He said he was sorry he can’t go the ball, but wished me good luck for the final. I don’t know who I’ll take now he’s out of the picture,” Robson said.
Robson said she was stunned to find her picture plastered all over the front of Saturday’s newspapers, a sign of the desperation felt in Britain at the country’s distinct lack of tennis stars.
“It’s nice to be thought of being the new face of British tennis, but I try not to think about it too much,” she said, before reminding everyone that she is still a child who fits in her schoolwork with tennis practice.
The money-men are sure to come calling on the self-assured, bright 14-year-old although, with a management company to rely on, she can leave financial matters to others.
Not that some ready cash would not come in quite handy.
“Unfortunately, I don’t get any pocket money,” Robson said.
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