British Wimbledon debutant who hit with Federer and beat Alcaraz before Djokovic showdown
Britsh wildcard Jacob Fearnley is preparing for a blockbuster Wimbledon clash with Novak Djokovic.
On his Grand Slam debut, Scottish star Jacob Fearnley claimed a Wimbledon first-round victory over Alejandro Moro Canas 7-5 6-4 7-6(12) and was rewarded with a showdown with Novak Djokovic.
Fearnley, 22, only graduated from Texas Christian University in May but sent a buoyant Court 8 into raptures with a straight-sets victory over Canas that announced his arrival at SW19.
Djokovic showed on Centre Court that he is taking no prisoners despite undergoing knee surgery less than a month ago. He won’t take Fearnley lightly but the Scot has gone toe-to-toe with some of tennis’ greats already and that experience could prove pivotal on Thursday.
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Well before winning the Nottingham Open title as a qualifier, Fearnley hit opposite the likes of Roger Federer, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
He practised with Federer on four occasions at Wimbledon, which he reflected on after defeating Canas.
“It was 2018 I think,” Fearnley explained. “I hit with him when he was playing in The Championships. Yeah, I was a junior, so I was playing the junior event.
“I think he went to some of the LTA coaches and was like, Are there any hitters? My name got put forward. That was really cool. I mean, he's a super nice guy. Obviously a really, really special player. I learned a lot of things from those brief practice sessions. Yeah, I was really grateful to have that opportunity.”
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Fearnley, a former junior star, defeated both Alcaraz and Sinner before honing his skills at university in America, as opposed to going down his opponents' route to becoming a professional.
But Fearnley dismissed the idea that he would be able to draw anything from those victories over two of the current world's top three against Djokovic.
“I don't think so, to be honest,” he rejected. “I played Alcaraz when he was maybe 14, I was 17. Sinner, yeah, I played him maybe when we were 15. Obviously the strides they've taken in their games has been a lot more than myself.
“Yeah, the way they're playing, it's unbelievable. I don't think I can really take anything from those victories.”
Fearnley has already bagged himself £93,000, a figure that could increase to £143,000 with an unlikely victory over Djokovic. Though the wildcard admits that he has “no idea” how he will try and upset the odds.
“That's a good question,” he replied when asked how he would go about defeating the seven-time Wimbledon champion. “I don't think many people have the answer to that.
“I have no idea. I've watched so many videos of him. It doesn't look like there are many flaws in his game. I'm going to just try and enjoy it, put my game out on the court and see what happens. I don't think there's many tactics going into the match.”
