Baltacha steps up

However, Baltacha is determined to use the tournament to launch her career into a new dimension. Ranked 106th in the world, her highest position, she is desperate not only to join the centurions but clamber ever towards the summit of the game. This, almost unbelievably, will be Baltacha's ninth Wimbledon, yet she is only 25. A semi-finalist in the junior competition in 2001, Baltacha has been a regular visitor to the All-England Club, but this year carries a greater purpose than just the honour of playing in the greatest tennis tournament in the world. Anne Keothavong has recently breached the world's top 50. Baltacha, quietly but firmly, holds the opinion that where the Englishwoman has travelled, she can follow.

"I feel as mentally strong as I ever have," said Baltacha as she tuned up for the championship. The player's psychological well-being is mercifully matched by a physical fitness. "I feel great, strong and ready to play," she said, albeit with a cough. "No, this cold is passing and I will be all right for Wimbledon," she added.

Baltacha has endured cruel misfortune with injury. She has suffered from debilitating liver problems and a back injury that required surgery. The injury blight has been difficult to shake off. Even this year, enjoying both a fine period of form and a wonderful freedom of movement, she succumbed to an irritating but persistent index finger injury. "It was so frustrating," she said. "I was playing well but the injury kept me off court for six weeks."

But Baltacha is back. She is looking to Wimbledon with a positivity that has been encouraged by Mark Krasner, her psychologist. "There are a variety of methods I use to combat any negative thoughts," she said. "I certainly use visualisation techniques but the main thrust is that I have to let bad shots go and not worry about what has happened but what I can do in every individual point."

There is no doubt that she has the talent. Baltacha beat the likes of Svetlana Kuznetsova in a junior career that included that high point at Wimbledon. Baltacha, too, has shown an aptitude for major tournaments. Although her ranking means she has to qualify or rely on a wildcard, the Scot has won seven matches in grand slam main draws.

Her ability was further underlined by her performance in this year's Australian Open. She served at 3-1 up, one set up against former Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo. Baltacha was devastated to lose the match in three sets.

But, on reflection, she has gained strength from that moment. "It showed me that I could compete with the best. I know I lost but it gave me confidence further down the line. My form is good at the moment. I am much more consistent in the way I play."

So what can one expect of Baltacha at Wimbledon? "I am determined not to make it the be-all and end-all of the season," she said. "I have to look at it as an opportunity to gather ranking points. But my season is building. I am determined to break into the top 100. And who knows from there?"

Baltacha, the daughter of Sergei, the Ukrainian centre-half who played for St Johnstone, is pleased that there are at least six Great British women in the main draw. She is encouraged by the example of Keothavong, whom she beat as a junior, and who has marched into the world's top 50.

"That is a motivation," she said. "When players you know are doing well, you look at them and think that you should be following their example."

She is aware that Laura Robson, at 15, has followed her own route from the junior tournament into the main draw. Robson won the junior title last year and will be under immense media scrutiny.

"The transition from juniors to the full tour is extremely difficult," she said with the benefit of experience. "Laura has to be ready for that challenge. But I do not think she needs advice, she seems to be a talent. She has a long way to go, of course, as she is only 15. But she has shown she can cope with pressure and she will need that as she goes on."

Baltacha is, properly, more concerned about her own prospects for the future. "I am looking after myself; I am feeling fit and I am injury free," she said.

She is also aware that she can cause problems for any opponent, particularly on grass. Baltacha knows Wimbledon is not a tournament that she can win but wants it to be another step forward. "My greatest memories of Wimbledon are playing on Centre Court three times," she said. Baltacha is grateful for that past. She is, though, concentrating on the future.