The opportunities for a player ranked No 851 in the world to perform in one of the ATP’s International Series tournaments are rare. James Ward, a 20-year-old from London, today finds himself in the main draw in Valencia, the city that has become a home from home and where Juan Carlos Ferrero, for whom its tennis academy is named, is his guiding light.

It is the remarkable story of the 4½ years this son of a London taxi driver has spent dedicating himself to tennis by toiling on Spanish clay courts — where have we heard that before? — and living the life that becoming a professional demands, hoping that it comes together and he rises up the rankings to find a place in his nation’s Davis Cup squad.

Ward will take a significant leap today in the first round of the Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana — thanks to the generosity of Ferrero and Antonio MartÍnez, the former world No 1’s long-time mentor, who runs the JCF Academy and is the tournament director. The depth of Ward’s appreciation is matched only by his determination to seize a once-in-a-lifetime piece of providence.

There were several far more high-profile players who would have loved a leg-up into such an event — in which Ferrero is the No 2 seed, behind David Ferrer, another Spaniard — and the list is rich with those for whom clay courts are the stuff of life.

But MartÍnez, who in 2003 guided Ferrero to the world No 1 ranking, the 2003 French Open title and a place in the US Open final, is a wily, thoughtful character who has seen enough in Ward’s abilities to believe that he deserves a wild-card entry.

Whatever the outcome, Ward does not intend to stop here. Having taken up tennis at the age of 11, reaching the semi-finals of the under15 national championships at the West Hants Club in Bournemouth and wondering what would happen to him in Britain next, he was encouraged by one of his former coaches to apply for a trial at the Ferrero Academy.

Ward’s move is remarkably similar to the one chosen by Andy Murray, who, having run into roadblocks in terms of potential fulfilment in Britain at the age of 15, preferred to base himself at the Sánchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona, the springboard for his rise to the threshold of the world’s top ten.

“At the outset, it was just a trial period here,” Ward said. “I thought I had a good eye for the ball, I wanted to dedicate myself to becoming a professional tennis player and we decided the best place to go was Spain. The whole idea was the same as Murray’s and I think what he’d done helped my case here.”

The financial arrangements for his stay are private between the player, his family and the academy, but Ward confessed that he would not be in the game but for the academy’s benevolence. “My dad’s a taxi driver and he’s worked all the hours God sends to give me this opportunity and I’m very grateful, but the funds aren’t endless,” he said. “There was a time when I said I couldn’t afford to stay, but the academy said they thought I had the talent and they’ve put a lot of trust in me. Hopefully, I’ll be able to produce.

“I can’t explain how much Juan Carlos has done for me. He’s around if he’s not playing tournaments, I’ve practised with him a lot, I’ve seen the amount of dedication he puts into his tennis, his training levels, his fitness levels and I’ve been working with his physical trainer, too, working on what I need to do to be in the best shape I can. Juan Carlos has been a tremendous incentivising force for me.”

And so Ward steps up to the plate today — with Jim, his father, and Tina, his mother, in the crowd — just as Great Britain begin their search for the elusive player who can fill the fourth spot in future Davis Cup teams. One result does not a future international player make, but at least the Londoner’s unlikely emergence offers food for thought.

“In the last couple of weeks a guy called Paul Hutchins [the LTA’s head of men’s tennis] has been in touch and I guess he wants to see me some time soon,” Ward said. “I know my ranking hasn’t been good enough to expect financial support, but hopefully they might find a way to help me some time in the future.”

There can be no fault found in Ward’s dedication. “The academy is very secluded, it’s in the middle of a field, there’s no partying, no wild nights,” he said. “My mates call sometimes and tell me what they’ve been up to, but this is what I’ve chosen to do. It’s a sacrifice and I’m sticking with it.”

Net gains

Age: 20

Born: London, Feb 9, 1987

World ranking: No 851 (highest career ranking)

British ranking: 23

Career prize-money: $4,273 (about £2,179)

2007 prize-money: $526

Best result in 2007: Quarter-finals of Spanish Futures event in Palma

Career: Played in 17 ATP Futures tournaments, 15 in Spain