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Robson fever grips Wimbledon following dramatic victory Robson fever grips Wimbledon following dramatic victory
(3 months later)
As you walk away from the Wimbledon grounds each evening, they stream past you in the other direction, carrying tents and shopping bags full of provisions for the long night ahead. In the old days we called them Henmaniacs, then they came for Andy Murray and now they give up their beds for the great new hope of British women's tennis: Laura Robson.As you walk away from the Wimbledon grounds each evening, they stream past you in the other direction, carrying tents and shopping bags full of provisions for the long night ahead. In the old days we called them Henmaniacs, then they came for Andy Murray and now they give up their beds for the great new hope of British women's tennis: Laura Robson.
Robson provided good value for lost sleep on Saturday as she won a dramatic third-round match against New Zealand's Marina Erakovic, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3. In the process, she became the first British woman to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon since Sam Smith 15 years ago. Not since Jo Durie in 1987 has the country had a female player ranked in the top 30 in the world.Robson provided good value for lost sleep on Saturday as she won a dramatic third-round match against New Zealand's Marina Erakovic, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3. In the process, she became the first British woman to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon since Sam Smith 15 years ago. Not since Jo Durie in 1987 has the country had a female player ranked in the top 30 in the world.
It's only the first week of Wimbledon and she's only 19 years old, but there are the beginnings of an unholy frenzy building up around Robson. This is partly explained by her aggressive, high-stakes playing style, with her knowing sense of humour off the court also a factor. Not everyone has fallen for her charms, though. After her match on Friday, Robson revealed that one of her well-wishers was One Direction's Harry Styles, which instantly made her a nemesis for many thousands of teenage girls.It's only the first week of Wimbledon and she's only 19 years old, but there are the beginnings of an unholy frenzy building up around Robson. This is partly explained by her aggressive, high-stakes playing style, with her knowing sense of humour off the court also a factor. Not everyone has fallen for her charms, though. After her match on Friday, Robson revealed that one of her well-wishers was One Direction's Harry Styles, which instantly made her a nemesis for many thousands of teenage girls.
The excitement surrounding Robson made it all the more surprising that her match against Erakovic was scheduled for Court No 2, which has a capacity of just 4,000, rather than the more capacious Court No 1 or Centre Court, which seats almost four times as many. Still, the atmosphere was raucous when she walked to play, with the union flag visible in multiple formats: clothing, headgear and handmade posters. Across Wimbledon, on Aorangi Terrace, thousands more followed the action on the big screen, though sadly "Robson's Green" has not yet been overwhelmingly endorsed.The excitement surrounding Robson made it all the more surprising that her match against Erakovic was scheduled for Court No 2, which has a capacity of just 4,000, rather than the more capacious Court No 1 or Centre Court, which seats almost four times as many. Still, the atmosphere was raucous when she walked to play, with the union flag visible in multiple formats: clothing, headgear and handmade posters. Across Wimbledon, on Aorangi Terrace, thousands more followed the action on the big screen, though sadly "Robson's Green" has not yet been overwhelmingly endorsed.
As Robson admitted afterwards, she did not give the home support much to cheer about in the first set, or indeed most of the second. Pressure can do funny things to a person and for an hour she played like someone who had woken up to the paralysing expectation of a stack of newspapers proclaiming her as the saviour of British women's tennis. Her shot-making was wild and impetuous and her movement sluggish; she looked like she was heading home.As Robson admitted afterwards, she did not give the home support much to cheer about in the first set, or indeed most of the second. Pressure can do funny things to a person and for an hour she played like someone who had woken up to the paralysing expectation of a stack of newspapers proclaiming her as the saviour of British women's tennis. Her shot-making was wild and impetuous and her movement sluggish; she looked like she was heading home.
"I was getting my butt kicked," she said. "I was really struggling to deal with her serve. I just had to stick with it until she got nervous.""I was getting my butt kicked," she said. "I was really struggling to deal with her serve. I just had to stick with it until she got nervous."
Serving for the match in the second set, Erakovic had her own anxiety wobble. Her response was to attempt outrageous drop shots and make fantastical Hawkeye challenges. Robson won eight games in succession and took a grip of the match that she never relinquished. The crowd responded with a long and heart-felt ovation. Consensus was not reached on whether to chant "Laura!" (women, mostly) or "Robbo!" (the men).Serving for the match in the second set, Erakovic had her own anxiety wobble. Her response was to attempt outrageous drop shots and make fantastical Hawkeye challenges. Robson won eight games in succession and took a grip of the match that she never relinquished. The crowd responded with a long and heart-felt ovation. Consensus was not reached on whether to chant "Laura!" (women, mostly) or "Robbo!" (the men).
If Robson was feeling overwhelmed during the match, it would be impossible to blame her. It has taken Murray many years to reach a mutually acceptable understanding with the SW19 faithful. "I can definitely play better than I did today," Robson acknowledged. "But it's tough to play your best tennis all the time. What I've been working on is just accepting that I'm not going to play great tennis in every match. I'm just going to have to work on being super-consistent and go from there."If Robson was feeling overwhelmed during the match, it would be impossible to blame her. It has taken Murray many years to reach a mutually acceptable understanding with the SW19 faithful. "I can definitely play better than I did today," Robson acknowledged. "But it's tough to play your best tennis all the time. What I've been working on is just accepting that I'm not going to play great tennis in every match. I'm just going to have to work on being super-consistent and go from there."
Robson said she was not concerned about playing on Court No 2; she was just excited to reach the second Monday of a grand slam tournament for the first time in her short career. "There was a decent-size crowd in there today and they were making a lot of noise," she noted. "They were amazing – it was totally amazing out there. I couldn't have done it without them."Robson said she was not concerned about playing on Court No 2; she was just excited to reach the second Monday of a grand slam tournament for the first time in her short career. "There was a decent-size crowd in there today and they were making a lot of noise," she noted. "They were amazing – it was totally amazing out there. I couldn't have done it without them."
The fans will come again on Sunday, queueing overnight in the hope of gaining entry to Wimbledon for Robson's clash on Monday against Estonia's Kaia Kanepi. She will start as a fractional favourite for that match, although defending champion Serena Williams does loom rather ominously in the quarter finals.The fans will come again on Sunday, queueing overnight in the hope of gaining entry to Wimbledon for Robson's clash on Monday against Estonia's Kaia Kanepi. She will start as a fractional favourite for that match, although defending champion Serena Williams does loom rather ominously in the quarter finals.
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