Jake Fearnley won’t be obsessed with breaking into the world’s top 100, but he is happy to dwell on the scare he gave Novak Djokovic.
The 23-year-old Scot won a set against the former seven-time champion in a three-hour epic on Centre Court that thrilled the home fans at Wimbledon this summer.
Fearnley meanwhile has won three Challenger titles – having come from a set down to beat local prospect Quentin Halys in the most recent in Rennes this month – since recently graduating from Texas Christian University.
Now ranked 126th – an improvement of 520 places since January – he is knocking on the door of a real milestone in the ATP rankings.
“To be in the position I’m in, three months after leaving university, is pretty spectacular,” he told BBC Scotland.
“There are so many benefits to being in the top 100. It’s crazy, the difference between being 102nd and 98th is huge.
“Getting into the main draw of the Australian Open… you’re in the main draw of a Grand Slam, the financial incentives, everything is important.
“It can be a bit of a trap to set goals like that because if it doesn’t happen, I might see this year as a failure when in fact it’s quite the opposite.
“Just being close is exceptional in itself.”
Even if Fearnley does manage to reach the 100-year club, it would not be the highlight of his year. Nor would the impressive Challenger victories he has achieved at Nottingham, Lincoln in the USA and Rennes in France.
The best thing he did in 2024 was make a 24-time Grand Slam winner work very hard for his place in the third round at Wimbledon.
Facing Djokovic at the All England Club is something he still thinks about, months later.
“He’s the GOAT (greatest of all time) of our sport and I got to play him on Centre Court at Wimbledon in front of crowds of fans, in front of my family, my best friends. It was a very special day,” Fearnley said.
“Being able to play a close match and feel like we played good tennis was very important.
“Being able to feel the way he plays, to feel the weight of his ball, is an extremely valuable experience.
“I still go back and look at certain things. I still talk to my coach about the things he did so well, the way he solves problems, his depth.
“I can put all that into my own game. If you don’t take an experience like that and use it to your advantage, it’s a waste.”
“There will never be another Andy Murray”
Fearnley hasn’t had much interaction with Andy Murray so far in his career, but if the opportunity arose to work with his fellow Scot now that the two-time Wimbledon champion has retired, he would happily take it.
“Andy is special,” Fearnley said. “There will never be another Andy Murray. He is a role model for everyone, including me.”
“Having a player like him to look up to since I was a kid has been invaluable in itself. Having that Scottish connection makes it even more special.
“I’m not going to contact him – I think that’s a bit crazy – but obviously if Andy wants to have something to do with my tennis I’ll take that opportunity.”
Fearnley is encouraged by the progress he believes has been made in tennis in his home country.
“I grew up in Scotland and that’s where I trained until I left for America,” said Fearnley, who is based in London.
“This will always be my home and this is where almost all of my family lives.
“Scottish tennis is great. They have appointed new coaches and they are really trying to progress performance tennis and develop new people.
“The climate is quite harsh. We need indoor pitches if we want to develop players. So it’s great to see that happening. It can only be positive.”
