Wimbledon 2024: Rising British star Jacob Fearnley puts in strong display against Novak Djokovic
Fearnley's outstanding performance came after winning his first ATP Challenger title at the Rothesay Open Nottingham during the summer following his graduation from Texas Christian University (TCU).
His achievements, such as his first victory in a Grand Slam against Alejandro Moro Canas on Tuesday, are expected to boost his ranking to just below the top 200.
"Until now, I hadn't seen him play," Djokovic confessed. "It was only two days ago that I finally watched him on the court, so there's always an element of unpredictability."
Today was extremely windy, but I must say, his serve was on point. Breaking his serve was a real challenge, he really pushed me to work hard for it.
I was fortunate in the fourth set to avoid falling behind. It's possible that I could have won the match in three sets, but I believe that the level of play from both sides warranted a fifth set. I am relieved that it didn't come to that.
Today, Jacob performed exceptionally well, and he pushed me to work hard for this win.
The British player, who defeated world No.1 Jannik Sinner and current Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in junior tournaments, appeared well-prepared for the important match as he managed to break Djokovic twice in the third set, leading to the seven-time champion losing his first set of the tournament.
Playing against possibly the best player of all time, Fearnley's bold approach was giving Djokovic many difficulties. However, in the end, Djokovic's experience in crucial moments helped him secure the win.
At a tied score of 5-5 and facing a crucial point, Fearnley made a crucial mistake with a double fault, giving the opponent ranked as the world's number two the chance to win the match easily with their serve.
During his post-match press conference, Fearnley expressed his pride in his performance. Despite feeling a bit let down by the loss, he acknowledged the challenge of facing the greatest tennis player on Centre Court at Wimbledon.
I feel really thankful for the chance to compete on that court against that player. I would say I am feeling proud at the moment.
This is only the beginning. I graduated from college slightly over a month ago. There are many opportunities ahead. Both myself and my team are fully cognizant of that.
Wimbledon Tournament Outcomes & News
Stay up to date with the most recent outcomes and developments from the UK players participating in The Championships, Wimbledon, taking place from June 24th to July 14th.
