JOSH Goodall now lives just a short walk from Wimbledon.

And in recent months, the Hampshire teenager has been taking giant steps towards realising his dream on the hallowed turf of SW19.

He only turned professional with full-LTA backing less than a year ago, but Goodall has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top 350 in the world senior rankings.

Many are hailing him as the brightest young prospect in British tennis, while some respected judges believe he has the ability to follow Tim Henman as the next home-grown talent to challenge at the top end of the world scene.

Most encouragingly of all, Goodall is proving that provided you have the skill and the will, it is no prerequisite of tennis success to hail from a privileged background.

State-school educated at Cranborne in Basingstoke, Goodall would work-out every day before school and then take a bus trip across town to the Centre Court club to practise into the evening.

He would do his homework late at night before repeating that routine day after day.

His dedication paid dividends. It helped him to nine GCSEs, but also consecutive appearances in the last 16 at junior Wimbledon before a major breakthrough last October which saw him chosen to join the international squad based at London's Queens Club.

It mean his living and playing tennis expenses are now largely covered by the LTA.

Dad Gary admits it was becoming virtually impossible to continue funding his son's tennis dream.

"I'm a BT engineer and my wife is a part-time teacher and we have got some pretty huge debts now," he said.

"We have had to re-mortgage the house four times to the tune of some £52,000. It is a costly sport with the travel, the training and the equipment.

"People would hardly believe it but even re-stringing his racket costs about £60 or £70 per week!

"But we have had some great times and anything he now does in tennis is a bonus. Our only concern is that he makes a living and you are still biting your finger nails a little bit.

"Only the very top players can really do well financially from tennis and there are so many good players all around the world.

"It is very, very hard and there is such a thin dividing line. You wish there wasn't a financial aspect - but he has to make a living like anyone."

Goodall, who has recently turned 19, is now receiving the best coaching and guidance this country has to offer.

He has his own fitness coach and is playing for hours at a time every day. Then there is the travel and the matches.

In the past year, he has played more than 100 competitive matches - the second-most in world tennis.

The search for world rankings points has taken him all over the world, with his greatest successes in recent months coming in Korea, India and Bolton, where he claimed a number of major scalps on his way to the semi-finals.

He is pushing his way towards the top-end of the British rankings and a wildcard berth at Wimbledon next year could be a realistic ambition.

Formerly in the world's top 30 juniors, Goodall does not come from a traditional tennis background, although dad Gary was a club player.

"We lived for a time in Western Australia," he said. "He first started playing at the age of four and within a week he could rally with me on a full-size court - so I knew he had something special."

How special remains to be seen, but what he has already achieved in the past few months is pretty spectacular.

l JOSH Goodall helped Hampshire and the Isle of Wight finish second in the men's Group 2 of the County Cup held at David Lloyd Leisure in Southampton over the weekend.

The Hampshire team were beaten 6-3 on the opening day by Yorkshire, but came back with a 5-4 victory against Kent and then a 6-0 win against Berkshire.