How can a player prepare to face Novak Djokovic on Centre Court at Wimbledon?
Briton Jake Fearnley has had to answer that question since advancing to the second round on Tuesday to earn a place in the biggest match of his career. According to coach Juan Martin, who was Fearnley’s teammate for two years at Texas Christian University, it has been a team effort.
Fearnley has a big team around him, including Martin, Tennis Scotland coach Toby Smith, LTA coach Mark Hilton and TCU coaches Devin Bowen and David Roditi. The LTA physical staff and analytics team have also been among those involved in helping ready Fearnley for 24-time major champion Djokovic.
“Toby and Mark are very involved still, but even Jake agrees that it's just better for him to have only one voice. All the coaches speak together and I act almost as a filter,” Martin said. “So far, we've all agreed on everything. I just communicate to Jake whatever the team is thinking.”
Before the Nottingham ATP Challenger Tour event last month, Fearnley had never won a match at that level. Now he will step on Centre Court at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to play a man who has lifted the trophy at The Championships seven times.
“It's very exciting. I think pretty much every tennis player, you talk about how you would play Novak. That's just what you do. I think there's so much stuff out there on how to prepare to play against Novak. Obviously there is not a lot of accurate information because the guy just takes you to the absolute limit,” Martin said. “But to be honest, we just have our plan ready and we're going to try our best and Jake's going to go out there and try to bring his game, bring it to him and see what happens.”
Fearnley’s focus will be on himself and playing the game to the best of his ability. For nearly two decades, Djokovic has frustrated opponents with his steady baseline play and timely offensive bursts. There is no plan for the home favourite to try to out-Djokovic the man himself.
“[Jake] has a big game. His game is just very aggressive, which I think fits for what Novak does to you,” Martin said. “I think that you need to be aggressive, you can't just start rallying with the guy. He has a good game to play Novak I think, so that's why I think that he needs to just focus on himself, do his thing and compete.
“We know what Novak wants to do, but you need to focus on yourself. I don't think you're going to beat him at his game and doing what he does. He's probably the best tennis player to ever step on the court. So I think that you just need to take your game to the limit. It's more on us to see what we can do.”
There is also the mental challenge of standing across the net from Djokovic. A couple of months ago, Fearnley was playing college tennis in the United States. Now he is facing a 98-time tour-level titlist with millions of fans around the world watching.
“I think that if you pick up a racquet as a kid, that's your dream, to play on this court against Roger, Rafa or Novak. That's pretty much what you want, what you dream of as a kid. I think that college is a great way to get you ready for that because there's so much pressure, great rivalries. Your match is make it or break it,” Martin said. “I think that you just need to come from a place of gratefulness and enjoyment.”
[ATP APP]According to Martin, Fearnley has told him how excited he is for the opportunity. The coach recalled: “He was just telling me yesterday, ‘Wow mate, if you would have told me that I will play Novak on Centre Court at Wimbledon in five months I would have told you no way’. Obviously, he is incredibly excited, ready for tomorrow. He's really looking forward to it. And he has a good team and good friends and family behind him.”
Fearnley said in a press conference after his first-round win: “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.”
The plan is for the 22-year-old to head to Aorangi Park for 9:45 a.m. to get his equipment ready, preparing his shoes, ankle bracelets, wristbands, grips and anything else he needs. At 10, he will begin a physical warmup with some mobility work and then a warmup for his explosive movement. Fearnley will then practise from 10:30 until 11:30 a.m., eat a light lunch and get ready to take the court at 1:30 p.m.
As Martin said, this is a moment kids dream about.
“He's still young. There's still a long road ahead,” Martin said. “But he's very clear, he's here to win and we're going to go for it.”
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