As any schoolchild will tell you, moving from the juniors to the seniors can be a daunting experience. Laura Robson, the 15-year-old Briton, and Grigor Dimitrov, the 18-year-old Bulgarian, will have to do their growing up in a very public manner when they make their debuts in the main draw at this year’s Wimbledon.

The junior champions were awarded wild cards into the event and, although both have dipped a toe in the senior waters, stepping out in SW19 with the likes of Andy Murray and Venus Williams will be another test altogether.

Robson will also have to deal with the hopes of a home crowd as she takes on Daniela Hantuchova in the first match on No 2 Court today. “From the sounds of it, there is going to be quite a lot of pressure so I am just going to have to deal with that,” she said. “All I can do is go on court and try my best. Then, win or lose, if I have tried my best then I cannot be unhappy.”

At 15, Robson will be the youngest player in the women’s draw since Martina Hingis in 1995 but, with her left-handed serve and a stronger physique than last year, she will be dangerous. She does face an extremely tough test, however, against Hantuchova, even if the Slovak has slipped from the top ten to just outside the top 30.

“I remember from last year, I hated grass for the first week and a half, then I had a change of attitude and realised that actually I could play quite well on it,” Robson said.

Elena Baltacha, the British No 2, knows how difficult the progression to seniors can be, having reached the semi-finals of junior Wimbledon in 2001. “It’s fantastic that she can have this opportunity at her age because I am sure the younger you get that experience, the better, in terms of the pressure,” Baltacha said. “She has dealt with everything that has been thrown at her and the good thing about her match with Hantuchova is that she can just go out and play. If she had got a lower-ranked player, she would have felt more pressure.”

When Dimitrov took a set off Rafael Nadal, the world No 1, at a tournament in Rotterdam this year, eyebrows were raised. The Bulgarian is raw but full of power and potential, with Peter Lundgren, his coach, even suggesting that he is better than Roger Federer, his former pupil, was at the same age. Dimitrov appears to be grounded enough to realise that his progress in the senior ranks may take time.

“It’s completely different, there’s no question about it,” he said of the main tour.

It is unlikely to happen this year, but Dimitrov — who plays Igor Kunitsyn, of Russia, in the first round — said that he would rather win Wimbledon than any of the other grand-slam tournaments. “You cannot compare this tournament to something else,” he said.