British wildcard Jacob Fearnley is enjoying form of his career as he will be up against the ultimate challenge on a grass court opposite Novak Djokovic.
The 22-year-old only finished his 5-year stint at Texas Christian University in May and was ranked outside the top 500 until clinching the ATP Challenger event in Nottingham as a qualifier. Fearnley qualified for this year’s Championships as a Scottish Wildcard and despite being justifiably overwhelmed by Djokovic’s record at Center Court he marked his debut at the All England Club with a 7-5, 6-4, 7-6(12) victory on Court Eight.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t watching the scores on Centre Court. It was getting in my head a little bit that I was going to have to play him,” Fearnley said.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a little bit intimidating, but it’s a match that I’m super excited for. It’s the biggest match of my career so far. Just to be able to share the court with a player like that will be really special.”
When asked what tactics he would deploy in his match to make a dent in Djokovic’s flawless game, the Scot admitted he may fell short in tactics against the 7-time Wimbledon champion.
“I’ve watched so many videos of him. It doesn’t look like there’s many flaws in his game,” continued Fearnley.
“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.”
Fearnley also revealed who will be having a seat in his box and on his side in stands during Djokovic clash on Thursday as tickets will not be in a good supply at Centre Court.
“My mum will be there, my half brother James and hopefully my dad,” added Fearnley.
“My Dad wasn’t able to come today. I think he’ll come for that match, I hope. And yeah,
“I’ll probably have a lot of friends. I mean, even today, there were so many friends that I hadn’t seen, I didn’t even know were coming, I saw them in the stands. I’m assuming there will be a lot of support behind me, playing in England, in the UK.”
Djokovic also offered his thoughts before the R2 match as he talked about the prospect of facing a home hope at Wimbledon.
“I don’t know really anything about him. So I’ll have to do my homework,” said the 37-year old.
“I know he was granted a wild card to play in the tournament. So yeah, I’ll definitely analyze his match of today and see what I’m up against.
“Obviously him being British, he’s going to have the crowd. You never like to play British in Wimbledon.
“But, you know, I’m looking forward. For me, it’s just about really maintaining this good sensation, good feelings on the court, getting my body and knee in shape to sustain the high level of potential five sets. That’s what matters the most.”