Natasha Khan, like Maria Sharapova, is 18 years of age and playing at Wimbledon.

There, for the time being at least, the similarities end.

While Sharapova continues the defence of her title, Khan is preparing for her singles debut at the All England Club in the first round of the juniors.

The Russian is ranked No. 2 in the world, the Brighton prospect somewhere around 1,000.

They may be playing only yards away from each other on the lush courts of SW19, but their lifestyles are miles apart.

Sharapova joined the renowned Nick Bollettieri Academy in Florida from the age of nine.

She stays in the swishest hotels and sponsors are crushed in the rush to sign her up for a lucrative deal.

Khan did not start playing the game seriously until the age of ten, yet alone be in an academy.

Travelodges, room shares with fellow wannabes and eating in Little Chefs are the norm in tennis outposts such as Falkenburg in Sweden or Felixstowe, where she will be competing in an £18,000 grass tournament straight after Wimbledon.

With the support of her level-headed parents, both emotional and financial, Khan is doing it the hard way - and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Alan Jones, the outspoken coach of domestic No. 1 Elena Baltacha, claimed at Eastbourne last week that British women players need to be much more single-minded and committed to their own cause, instead of relying on the LTA.

Single-minded and committed are words made for Khan. The LTA assists with funding, but she is very much a local girl trying to make good.

She lives with her mum and dad, younger sister Yasmin (14) and brother Samir (12) in Withdean.

Her coach, Rhys Hanger, is based at the Brighton Health and Racquets Club at Falmer, which also provides financial help.

Khan hits twice a week with Julie Pullin, another former Blatchington Mill pupil who used to play on the women's tour.

She quit school last summer to concentrate on tennis, but only after gaining seven GCSEs.

Dad Naz, a doctor, said: "We are not from a real sporting background, so we wanted her to get her education sorted out. Natasha has always been very keen on her tennis and I don't think she has ever really looked beyond it.

"We questioned it as parents but the whole thing has been so Natasha-run. It's never been us, if anything it's been us saying give up."

Mum Deni has been a constant companion on the satellite circuit, although Khan has driven herself to the odd tournament since passing her test in March.

"She used to lose a lot," Deni said. "There were times when we might then lose our direction on the roads.

"I would be in tears saying 'what are we doing this for'. We've got younger children and I'd be saying 'you've got to give up, there's no point. Natasha would cry as well and say 'no, this is what I want'. It hasn't been easy."

Gradually, all the heartache is beginning to pay off. Khan has already improved her ranking by around 200 places.

At Eastbourne last week, in a junior event running alongside the Hastings Direct Championships, she beat a Romanian French Open finalist ranked sixth in the world before pulling out with a shoulder injury.

"Everybody told us she would be a late developer," Naz said. "In the juniors she has never really done well.

"She's made a huge stride forward since working with Rhys and it's now about keeping that going.

"Yes, she is playing catch-up compared to the top players, but you hear all these stories about Sharapova coming from wherever, penniless.

"She was in an academy with big money behind her. Things didn't just happen out of nowhere. A lot of people fall by the wayside for one person to come through.

"Maybe we are doing things the wrong way, maybe it's never going to happen, but her desire is there to do it and she knows we are there to support her in the way that we want her to be brought up."

Natasha, waiting to discover who her first round opponent will be tomorrow or on Monday, is ready for her Wimbledon debut.

"The bigger the tournament is I feel less pressure and not nervous," she said. "I just feel I can go out and show what I can do. At Eastbourne I was watching a couple of 18-year-old Russians in the main draw and I thought there was nothing special about them. They just looked as if they had played more than I have.

"She (Sharapova) is quite a good player and all that, but I still don't think she is miles away from what my game is. Again, I think it is just the experience of being at that level.

"That's the top of the ladder. I'm down at the bottom at the moment. If I do these other events then hopefully I will get my ranking up and finally get up there.

"I don't get down about it. If my game is good enough then I will get to where they are."

Natasha will not be eligible for Wimbledon juniors next year. She hopes by that time to have improved her ranking to 500 and, perhaps, make the main draw.

Her parents are realistic. "Of course, we are not going to keep endlessly paying out money till she is 30, but we're there to support her," Deni said.

"She has got her exams and she can always go back. You might get an injury, you might never make it, I've said that. Dreams don't always come true. We will just see how it goes."