ATP Tour

How Brooksby is using Djokovic experience ahead of Sinner clash

There are many players who would be fearful of seeing Jannik Sinner’s name next to theirs in the Wimbledon draw. But for Jenson Brooksby, it’s an opportunity he has been waiting a long time for.

The 25-year-old American will face World No. 1 and defending champion Sinner in the third round of the grass-court major on Friday afternoon. Even though it will mark Brooksby’s first appearance on Centre Court at the All England Club, he is able to draw experience from his debut on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open in 2021, when he pushed Novak Djokovic to four sets in the fourth round.

“None of us can ever control the draws we're in, but whenever you face a higher-ranked player in a farther round of the tournament, the moments get bigger and bigger,” Brooksby told ATPTour.com. “It's been a little while since I've had a moment like that, but I always believe I can play my best tennis in the big moments. You certainly learn a lot from those regardless of how the result ends up going.

“Even though I lost that match to Novak, I'd say having that experience, I will be a lot more comfortable in these types of moments. Now, against Jannik, I know it's the third round and not the Round of 16, but it's similar. I feel a lot more comfortable about it than my first year on Tour.”

After making tour-level appearances at his home major in 2018 and 2019, Brooksby then announced himself on the ATP Tour in style in 2021. In Newport, as the No. 152 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Brooksby surged all the way to the final in his first appearance in an ATP Tour event.

It proved to be the first of several standout results that season, validating his belief that he belonged among the game's elite and helping him earn ATP Newcomer of the Year honours in 2021.

“It’s been a lot of ups and downs since that time, for sure,” Brooksby said. “I think the biggest thing in terms of my game has always been trying to keep improving on what my strengths are but also adapt to how the game is now rather than five years ago, because it's definitely faster now. There's things that are different from when I first was on Tour.

“So I’m just trying to adapt my game based on how tennis is played now, along with working on things I wasn't as good at but also not losing sight of my strengths. I think my best tennis of my career is still to come in the coming years, and I think especially the last month I've been in a better rhythm with what I'm working on.”

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Grass remains Brooksby's favourite surface. It was where he reached his maiden ATP Tour final in Newport and where he returned to another championship match in Eastbourne last year. But his unconventional game style — built around exceptional anticipation, absorbing pace and disrupting opponents' rhythm with changes of speed and timing — has translated across surfaces. He claimed his maiden ATP Tour title on the clay of Houston last year and reached hard-court finals in Dallas and Atlanta in 2022.

Brooksby's only previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Sinner came in the week after that Newport breakthrough in 2021, when the pair met in the semi-finals of the ATP 500 in Washington, where Sinner prevailed 7-6(2), 6-1.

Much has changed since then. Brooksby has battled injuries and setbacks before finding his way back, while Sinner has evolved from a bright young talent into a four-time major champion and has spent 78 weeks at No. 1.

Asked whether he ever looks ahead in the draw, Brooksby admitted the possibility of a blockbuster meeting naturally crosses his mind. But once the tournament begins, his focus quickly narrows to the task in front of him. It’s a mindset he believes gives him the best chance against the elite players.

“For the most part, I'll usually just see what the draw looks like, and then by the time the first match comes around, it'll always be in the back of your mind,” Brooksby said. “But it's never a distracting factor or anything because if you lose the first round, then it doesn't matter what draw you have.

“He [Sinner] definitely gets good pace on the ball, but what I've been working on as my strengths the past few weeks I think would be able to fit well against him. I guess we'll see soon.”

On Friday, Brooksby will once again find himself on one of tennis' biggest stages against one of its biggest names. This time, though, he will walk onto Centre Court carrying the lessons he learned on Arthur Ashe Stadium, and believing they have left him better equipped for the moment.