ROLAND GARROS

May 24, 2025

Jacob Fearnley

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to Roland Garros, your first time here. Can you tell us coming in, your expectations?

JACOB FEARNLEY: Yeah, it's great to be here. Yeah, never been to Roland Garros before, so really excited to get started. In terms of expectations, I don't really have too many, but yeah, just looking forward to playing and seeing what happens.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Another Grand Slam and another eye-catching draw. You're quite used to these, aren't you? I wondering how it feels to play someone of Stan's stature here at Roland Garros?

JACOB FEARNLEY: Yeah, I mean, it means a lot. I know he's a previous champion and had a lot of success here. So, yeah, it's a great match for me to play.

Like you said, I've played some big matches with big opponents and in front of big crowds and stuff. So, yeah, it's a match I'm looking forward to and to get to share the court with Stan. Yeah, it's just going to be really special.

Q. Just on a similar theme, you've beaten Kyrgios in Australia. Do you take confidence? Stan is not French, but he's super popular here. They may well be a similar atmosphere.

JACOB FEARNLEY: For sure. Like I said, I've played in some tough environments. Kyrgios was definitely one of them. Yeah, I know the French crowd get behind matches, and they can be pretty rowdy. Yeah, obviously I expect that, but I'm more just thinking about playing the match. Getting the opportunity to play Wawrinka here in Roland Garros is really special. Just trying to enjoy every moment.

Q. When it comes to playing someone like that, it's obviously 14 hours. I assume you will have watched loads of his matches on TV. Is it a difficult mental shift from thinking about Wawrinka as this guy, this famous guy, that you have seen win all these big matches to now just an opponent that you have to face and beat?

JACOB FEARNLEY: Yeah, good question. Yeah, it is a little bit weird. I still kind of, just in general, around these tournaments, when I'm at these tournaments and I'm in the locker room with Djokovic or something like that, it's still a little bit weird to recognize myself as in the same draw and potentially could play these guys, but I think I've played enough tournaments on the tour now to know that I belong here and that I'm here to play, not just to take part.

Yeah, it is a little bit weird, and it is a little bit surreal. When I saw the draw, there's a little bit of a, like, Wow, this is really cool. But then obviously as the days comes to when I play the match, it's a little bit more focused and a little bit more getting ready to try and win.

Q. When Stan made his debut here in 2004, you were 3 years old. How does that make you feel?

JACOB FEARNLEY: It's pretty crazy, yeah, 3 years old. I guess I was about to turn 4. That's pretty cool, yeah.

I mean, I don't really know what to say, to be honest (laughing). Yeah, I mean, that's really cool.

Q. Will you play until you're 40, do you think?

JACOB FEARNLEY: I hope so. I know the game is extremely physical, so for Wawrinka to still be playing at the level he's playing at at his age is extremely admirable. Yeah, if I can have any type of longevity that he had, that would be amazing. Yeah, to still be playing at 40, playing Grand Slams is pretty incredible.

Q. Do you remember where you were when Stan won here ten years ago in the finals? Would you have watched it? Were you into watching tennis at that time?

JACOB FEARNLEY: Yeah, I was definitely into watching tennis. I can't really remember it, to be honest. Most of my memories watching tennis were always watching Wimbledon. I didn't have, like, Sky Sports or any of those channels. Obviously Wimbledon was always shown on BBC, so that was the one I remember watching most.

Yeah, I mean, I was very aware he won it definitely, but I can't really remember watching it.

Q. You mentioned it's quite cool seeing these guys around, big names, have done big things. Do you ever get starstruck, or did you get starstruck in early days being on tour?

JACOB FEARNLEY: Definitely. I still do get starstruck. Like in Rome the other day Sinner came and gave me a handshake, and he moves on. I looked at my coach like, Whoa, that's pretty cool. Sinner is my age. Imagine when Djokovic, says, Hi, to me, it's still a little bit strange. I always smile at my coach whenever that happens, and we smile at each other because it is cool moments.

I don't like to take those for granted because, like, I never thought that I would get to the point where Novak would say, Hi, to me or even Monfils or someone like that.

Yeah, definitely do get a little bit starstruck. I wouldn't say I'm 100% used to it, but no, it's still really cool.

Q. Just on that, how difficult is it sometimes to separate sort of the name from just the individual you're playing, if that makes sense, like ignore the aura or whatever they have around them? Is that something you've had to work on as well?

JACOB FEARNLEY: I think so. I think you have to give your opponents a certain amount of respect, especially when they've won a lot on such big stages and been successful for so long. But I think the challenge is maybe not giving them too much respect so that then you go into the match thinking you're going to lose.

I think that's something that the more I've been playing this year, the more I've kind of got that balance. It's going to be the same for this match. Obviously Wawrinka has done incredible things, but I have to remember that I'm here to win and here to play a match. Yeah, I kind of will always go in with respect, but also with confidence that I can win.

Q. Jack is playing Mattia Bellucci in the first round. I realize that you both played doubles against him in under-12s Tennis Europe. I'm sure you don't remember that like Jack. There are a lot of players here who you played when you were a junior, like Jannik as well and Rune. Is it a bit weird to think that there are some players that you're going to be playing your entire life from when you were 10 to the end of your career?

JACOB FEARNLEY: Yeah, it's funny you say that. I do remember a lot of the guys I'm seeing. I remember playing Musetti in Tarbes when I was 13 years old. Me and Jack played him and one other person. Obviously I played Sinner. I played Alcaraz when I was younger. Obviously seeing those guys now, obviously I see them a little bit differently now than I did back then.

It's cool. We obviously all took different paths. I went to college. They went like this very, very quickly. So, yeah, I'm aspiring to be like those guys, and it's cool seeing when we were juniors to now and them doing so well.

Q. Stan beat Andy last year in the first round. Can we see this as a Scottish revenge mission?

JACOB FEARNLEY: I guess, yeah, we can see it like that. I remember he beat him. I couldn't remember if it was last year or not, but yeah, definitely we could see it like that. Hopefully I can get the revenge for Scotland (laughing).

Q. Before the clay courts, we saw a video of you practicing sliding on clay. Is that something you did much before, and just talk us through how you felt doing that and how important that is on this surface.

JACOB FEARNLEY: I had done it before when I was a junior, but when that video was taken, that was probably the first time I was doing it since maybe 2017. Yeah, it was a long time ago. Seven, eight years since I last played on the clay.

It's still something I'm getting used to, and it is extremely important, feeling the movement. I would say that is probably the biggest difference is -- the tennis, obviously you construct points a little bit differently, but the tennis stays pretty similar, but it's more the movement that I think is different, comparing surfaces.

Q. I was just looking at your record over the last year, and you've been really efficient at beating anyone ranked 50 or lower. I think you had a couple of wins above that, but obviously what you are doing is going to give you a really solid career already, but do you know what you kind of need to do to kind of be able to challenge those bigger names?

JACOB FEARNLEY: Yeah, I think you're right. Yeah, I've played quite a few guys, kind of top 20. Yeah, haven't had many wins against those top players. I think it kind of goes back to what we were talking about. Just getting the opportunity to play those guys.

I go into playing some of those guys with maybe a little bit too much respect and maybe not backing my abilities and maybe feeling like I have to do crazy things in order to beat them, which obviously there's a reason for that. It's because they've been playing at the top of the game, and they earned my respect obviously.

But, yeah, I think the more I get used to the way they're playing and the more I'm realizing kind of what I have to do to beat them, I think that will be the difference. So all the opportunities I have to play top guys, I really enjoy it because, win or lose, I always learn. Hopefully it will pay off eventually, yeah.

Q. Talking about the players you played when you were younger and stuff, was there anyone who was at your level or sort of knocking about that level who didn't make it that you thought would, players you thought would go on to do well but maybe fell by the wayside somewhere?

JACOB FEARNLEY: I don't think so, to be honest. I can't really think of any of them.

Q. That's amazing, isn't it?

JACOB FEARNLEY: George Loffhagen is a British guy. You might know him. He's an incredible athlete. You watch him play, and he was also a very good junior, and are you thinking, like, How is this guy not at the top? I mean, he's incredible, but obviously he's just had a few injuries.

I would say maybe he's a guy that I remember thinking that he's going to be unbelievable and then obviously he's just gotten unlucky with injuries, but hopefully he can put them aside.