For the teenager who’s been touted as Andy Murray’s successor, emulating his hero by winning one of tennis’ most prestigious tournaments, just as Murray did, would surely be the perfect way to round off his junior career.
This coming week, Charlie Robertson will contest the Orange Bowl Tennis Championships in Florida and success in it would be just one more step towards his stated goal of “becoming as successful as Andy”.
Such a lofty target is, of course, quite a task to fulfil but his ambition is not unfounded.
Over the past twelve months, Robertson has established himself as one of the top junior players in the world, with the 18-year-old’s most notable results this season being a semi-final appearance at the US Open Juniors in September and third place at the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals a few weeks later, which contributed to the Scot breaking into the top ten of the world junior rankings.
It’s been quite a season, but not necessarily one that was unexpected by Robertson himself.
“The goals I had set for myself this year were to get into the top 10, go deep at one of the Slams and make the Junior Finals so I ticked all the boxes, which was great,” he says.
“I’ve been working really hard so it’s been quite a relief to see the work is paying off and that some results are going my way. Momentum had a lot to do with it and when I started winning, I managed to keep it going.”
Perhaps even more influential for Robertson, however, was being taken under Murray’s wing this summer.
During the grass season, Robertson became a regular hitting partner for the former world number one and was on the receiving end of a slew of advice, of which Robertson was a grateful recipient.
Ten years ago, as a 7-year-old, the now teenager watched Murray win Wimbledon for the first time and he admits being invited into the grand slam champion’s inner circle was both thrilling and surreal.
“Watching Andy has been a massive inspiration for me and spending some time with him was amazing,” the Dundonian says.
“I really take every word he says on board and I loved being around him.
“Over the summer, he gave me a lot of valuable information and maybe that helped me kick-on in the second half of the year.”
Every piece of advice that Murray’s imparted has been gratefully received but there’s one nugget in particular that really struck a chord with Robertson, particularly as he eyes a career on the professional circuit.
“The one thing that really stuck with me from Andy, and also his fitness coach who I work with too, is about Andy’s mindset. He told me he doesn’t think he’s ever skipped even a single rep in training,” he says.
“His mentality, whether he’d won or lost, and his desire to get back on the training court were quite an eye-opener.
“He told me that the best players deal with their losses the best. That has, for me, been the most useful piece of information.
“Most tennis players lose every week so it’s about dealing with those losses. If you sulk for four or five days after losing a match, that’s time you’re wasting while other guys are working hard. Hearing it from Andy, who’s such a champion, means a lot.”
Robertson has one more leg of his junior career to complete before he moves into the professional ranks, and that’s this week's Orange Bowl.
Murray won the under-12 and under-14 tournaments in 1999 and 2001 while Robertson will contest the under-18 event in the coming days.
Having had such an impressive last few months, Robertson is desperate to round off his junior career in style.
“I’ve got high expectations this week but it’s not going to be easy,” he says.
“I want to do well and try to win the tournament. I know that’ll be tough but I enjoy that battle. I have a bit of momentum from the past few months so I want to continue that and hopefully win some more matches.”
As much of an impact as Robertson has had in junior tennis over the past year, that will matter little come January when he joins the professional ranks where he will begin on the bottom rung of the ladder.
It’s no secret how brutal the climb can be from the lower ranks to the top of men’s tennis but rather than be daunted by the prospect of fighting his way through Futures and Challenger level tournaments against seasoned pros, many of whom will be twice his age, Robertson is excited by the challenge that lies ahead.
“To restart at the bottom and work my way back up won’t be easy but I’m looking forward to it,” Robertson.
“It’s going to be tough, especially for the first few years and I might not be playing in the most glamerous places but for me, it’s exciting to see what I can do.
“Physically, the men’s game is very hard.
“And mentally, it’s tough because it’s very real. You’re playing men and sometimes, they’re fighting just to be able to afford to stay the night. Juniors is serious but in the pros, it’s more like real life.”
Robertson is well aware of how testing the coming seasons will be but longer-term, he’s not holding back on his targets. Having watched his compatriot Murray conquer the world, the teenager has seen first-hand how it’s possible for a Scot to become the best tennis player on the planet.
And that’s exactly where he’s setting his sights.
“Seeing Andy become such an unbelievable tennis player, I know how hard it is to get to that level. I’m on my own journey and I’d obviously love to be as good as him and have as good a career as he had. Each year, I’ll set myself small goals but of course, I want to achieve as much as I can,” he says.
“Wimbledon is definitely one of my big goals - to win that would be surreal.
“And if we’re talking very high targets, I’d love to reach world number one too."
