THREE years of lonely slog around the Satellite tennis tournaments of Europe could be about to pay off for Winchester tennis player Darren Emery.

The confident 20-year-old has just won his first world ranking point by beating the tournament number six seed, German Peter Schuster, on a clay court in the heat of Egypt.

It has been a long, hard road for the Southampton-born youngster to pass what could be a crucial turning point in his career.

But the former pupil of Henry Beaufort School, Winchester who gave up his ambitions to become a footballer to concentrate on tennis, makes no apologies for being the traditional British late-developer on what he thinks has been less than a level playing field.

He said: "I feel that the Lawn Tennis Association should broaden their horizons to look at more players.

"They tend to select a few at a very early age and then support those players all the way. But if you are overlooked you have no chance of getting LTA support after that."

The financial demands of following a tennis career without the support the LTA can offer has forced many players to quit.

But not Emery, whose father, David, was head coach at the Winchester club for 16 years.

The former Hampshire county under-14 champion, who played for Britain at under-12 level, received some support from family and, by picking up coaching jobs here and there, has managed to keep going.

He has just returned from Spain after fixing up a period of training with former world number three Sergi Bruguera.

Emery is now training at Queen's Club in London and planning his tournament schedule for next year.

"I have played about 12 tournaments in the three years. A player supported by the LTA would probably play that number in six months but I feel I am making progress," said Emery, currently ranked 29 in Britain.

His assessment is endorsed by former tournament player Kevin Herke, now a tennis coach in Maidenhead, who believes Emery has the determination as well as the talent to succeed.

"I would say Darren is playing like a top 200 (in the world) player at the moment," said Herke.

"He has the dedication. If there are three three-hour coaching sessions arranged for one day, players might turn up for one or two of them. I have seen Darren turn up for all three and work until he has got something right."

But Herke believes Emery's dream could come to nothing unless he manages to obtain some sort of sponsorship.

The coach added: "It's not going to happen but I think the LTA should do it.

"They could reward players who have picked up world ranking points, which is a remarkable achievement, with financial support.

"They pick players at an early age and support them all the way through. But some players develop later."

Herke believes it is vital for Emery to have a full-time coach, although the youngster estimates that travelling the tournament circuit with a coach costs about £100,000 a season.

"It can be brutal on the tournament circuit. It's almost like a war zone, and a player needs someone in his corner," said Herke.

"I would go so far as to say that it is impossible to reach the level where you can think about playing at Wimbledon without a full-time coach."

Anyone interested in sponsoring Emery can contact him on 0780 3342653.