THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 3, 2025

Jack Pinnington Jones

Press Conference

F. CABOLLI/J. Pinnington Jones

6-1, 7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Just your reaction to the game and how you felt it went.

JACK PINNINGTON JONES: Yeah, obviously not the result I wanted, but Flavio is a really good player. He's the highest ranked player I've ever played. It was tough to go in there with any sort of expectations. I just wanted to go out there and compete and just try my best.

I felt like he got on to me really quickly at the start. I felt like he played a really aggressive, fast-paced first set, and it sort of caught me off guard. I wasn't used to that sort of pace and intensity that quickly.

Then once I sort of settled in, even though I was a break down in the second, I felt like I was in a lot more rallies, I felt more comfortable out there. Obviously got the break back. Lost a really tight tiebreak. I felt I played my set point pretty well. I think he just came up with the goods.

Losing a tiebreak 8-6, I won a lot of tie breaks this grass season. I felt like I was bound to lose one, and unfortunately that happened today.

Then it's tough. I haven't played many five-setters. Two sets to love down. Kind of looked like I was climbing Everest, it felt like. Maybe a lapse in concentration or he maybe feeling like he can play even freer and raise his level even more. I felt like I didn't play a bad game, but got broken early.

Yeah, I felt like he was just raising his level, felt more and more confident, and it was tough for me to sort of get back in the match.

Overall pretty proud of how I played out there. Competed as hard as I could.

Q. What will you take from the experience, getting your first win, and then playing on Court 18, the crowd? How do you look back on the last few days?

JACK PINNINGTON JONES: Yeah, obviously it's amazing. To play my first Wimbledon main draw here, get a win as well, if you had told me at the start of the week that would have happened, I would have signed.

Obviously pretty happy. Very proud of myself in sort of how I've handled the whole experience. It's all new to me, so very happy with that.

Then today just I think it's invaluable for me to play such a good player and just sort of see the clear things in my game that I need to work on if I want any chance of getting up in my ranking up and being able to come back here, not as a wild card and actually earn my place here.

Overall just really grateful. Obviously happy for the opportunity from the All New England Club and the LTA that they backed and believed in me that I could win matches here. From now on hopefully it's clear sort of guide on what I need to improve. It gives me a lot of belief that one day I can be here.

Q. There was a lot of chants for Flavio in the stands. Was that distracting?

JACK PINNINGTON JONES: No, for me I played college tennis. I played away matches in college where they can be quite personal, some of the comments, a bit of heckling. For me not at all. I quite enjoy atmosphere, whether it's for me, against me, it doesn't really matter.

The fans were behind me just as much as they were behind him, you know. I felt like it was good. It's just tough at the beginning when I don't win many points in the first set for the fans to sort of get behind me.

It felt a bit more favored towards him at the beginning, but as soon as I got in the match, I feel like I was the crowd favorite out there.

Yeah, I enjoyed it. It's a great atmosphere. I love that sort of stuff. It's really exciting as well. I want to play. I want to play in front of big crowds. I feel like a little kid out there living a dream, so it's pretty cool.

Q. You said the other day about how when the tournament was going to be over for you, you were thinking about unwinding with a few rounds of golf at Andy Murray's club. Is that still the plan? Also was Andy Murray a big influence for you when you were first starting out?

JACK PINNINGTON JONES: I'm going to definitely play some golf. I'm going to go and celebrate with my family and friends tonight. And I haven't really spent much time with them at all. Sort of been focused in on the tournament the whole time. I'm going to celebrate with them. Just an amazing grass season and catch up with them.

I'm playing Nottingham challenger next week to try and sneak into US qualifying. I think I'm right on the borderline. So sort of straight back to it. I've got one more chance to try and sneak that, which would be awesome to be in US Open qualifying, just sort of out of the gate. That's sort of my goal.

Q. Obviously you made the decision not to go back for your final year of college. What was it about your tennis and the level that you were at that made you decide to turn professional?

JACK PINNINGTON JONES: I think I was considering doing it last year. I felt like I was improving a lot, and I had some okay results in the challenger tour. I was around maybe 380 in the world in six, seven months, so I felt pretty good about my game.

I think after this semester in college and just sort of seeing how well Jake has done, chatting to Cam, chatting to Jack, I felt like I'm only 22 once. Why not just go for it? I think I can make some jumps. I'm happy I did because I feel like I have proven myself right in the last couple of weeks.

Obviously I'm nowhere near where I want to be, so it's just I've shown I can do it. It's about now delivering it on the practice court day in, day out and just trying to be more consistent with my level.

Q. Do you look at guys like Jake for what you can achieve so soon after turning professional?

JACK PINNINGTON JONES: I mean, obviously that's the dream case scenario to be top 100 in record time. I think I'm going to go on my own journey. I'm in it for the long haul, whether that's a year, two years, three years. For me, if I can get to Grand Slam main draws, that's what I want for my life. That's what I want to do.

I'm in it for the long haul, and I'm ready to stick it out and go through ups and down in my career that I know are going to come my way.

Obviously this week with the prize money, everything, sort of helps me relax knowing that I can fund my tennis as well, which is huge.

Q. A few players in recent days have commented on the speed of the courts and a few of them have found it a lot slower than they usually do when they play on grass. I wondered if you had noticed that, if you found it was playing slower or if it was more difficult?

JACK PINNINGTON JONES: I haven't played obviously these sort of tournaments on grass much at all. So I've played the juniors here. I played all the challengers leading up. I felt compared to the challengers, it's probably slower than them, but I think it's not outrageously slow.

I think the thing that I struggled with the most is the movement part. I feel like the grass is maybe a bit thicker here than the other challengers. I say other challengers, challengers in general. That's something that I struggled with more.

Yeah, it definitely can check on you and depending if there's a few bad bounces out there... Obviously it's a grass court. For me hopefully I'm back here next year and I will be able to give you a different perspective. Yeah, I'm not really too sure on that.

Q. You just touched on the prize money. How much of an impact will that have? Aside from funding your tennis, maybe any extravagant plans with that?

JACK PINNINGTON JONES: Extravagant plans... I haven't got a clue. I'm more than happy. I still live with my parents in Cobham and my three sisters. Maybe move out there. That would be nice to get my own place.

I think obviously for me, I'm looking at it as an investment in my tennis. It's peanuts to what tennis players can make, for me top 50 in the world, wherever you want to be. I'm looking at it as an investment in myself and my career and my team around me.

Whether that's hiring a physio on the road or having my coach for certain weeks or blocks, whatever it may be, that's what I'm sort of looking at it as.

It's obviously amazing that I've been given the opportunity to be able it play here and win a round. It's almost double the prize money. That's amazing. As I said, it's a weight off my back knowing that I can fund my tennis myself without going through my parents. You know, that's huge to me.

Q. Are your sisters all younger than you? Have they been to watch?

JACK PINNINGTON JONES: I have three younger sisters. Two of them were on holidays this week, this weekend. I think they had a good time. Then my youngest sister watched my first round. I don't know if they were all here today. They could have been, but they're hunting me for tickets for the next two days still. So we'll see.

Q. What age are they?

JACK PINNINGTON JONES: I have to get this right. They are 20, turning 21 this month, 18, and 15.

Q. Obviously you spoke about the prize money and funding your tennis. How important is a run like the one that you've had, even just winning one round? What can that bring to you? Will that let you have a coach for longer? Will that let you go to more tournaments?

JACK PINNINGTON JONES: It will be basically where there's no -- for me at least I'm looking at it, as I said, like an investment in my tennis. If I believe I need more focus on the physical training side, I'm going to invest in a trainer to have him maybe on the road at some tournaments so I can train if I lose early, little things like that.

If it's injury risk, maybe a physio or traveling with my coach more weeks and developing that side of things. For me, yeah, I want to be a top-100 tennis player in the world. I want to try and maximize my potential. For me it's an investment.

Whatever that may be, I don't know right now what I'm going to invest it in towards my tennis, whether that's -- oh, God knows, anything to did with it -- racquets, whatever. For me that's what I want to put the money towards, and hopefully it will pay off in the long run if I fulfill my potential where I think I could be.