De Jong on Sinner test: 'I'm ready to show the world what I can do'

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again…

Fitting words for Dutchman Jesper De Jong, who in Melbourne qualified for a major for the first time on his ninth attempt.

The 23-year-old battled past Camilo Ugo Carabelli in a deciding-set tie-break in the final qualifying round to earn his spot in the main draw at the Australian Open. He then upset Argentine Pedro Cachin to reach the second round, marking a breakthrough few days for De Jong.

“It was the most special moment in my life,” De Jong told ATPTour.com when asked about qualifying. “It felt great. I was way more nervous for that qualifying match than the match against Cachin.

“I accomplished my dream by qualifying. Then people were saying it was a good draw, maybe you have a good, better chance than playing against Djokovic or Medvedev. Then you get a little bit of pressure, people are expecting something from you, but I handled it well.

“I wasn't that nervous in the morning before playing [Cachin], but then 10 minutes before the match, I started to get nervous. I felt it in all my shots, I didn't play really well in the first set. But second, third and fourth, I played really good tennis and I'm happy with that, that I turned it around.”

The fair-haired 23-year-old is 5’11” and describes himself as an aggressive baseliner on court and relaxed off court.

He grew up in Haarlem in the north of the Netherlands and started to taste early success at age 12 when he won several U14 tournaments on the Tennis Europe circuit. Three Futures titles followed in 2019 before he clinched his maiden ATP Challenger Tour trophy in 2021, aged 20.

However, a tour-level win and a main-draw major appearance were still to be ticked for De Jong when he boarded a flight to Australia earlier this month. Having now achieved both, what has clicked for the No. 161 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings this week?

“It's tough to say. I think the level has been there. You need luck. You need some luck because there are 128 players in the qualifying draw and they are all such good players and they can all qualify,” De Jong said. “You need luck with the draw and the other day it could have been over. I was three points away from losing against Ugo and then this all wouldn't have happened and I would have been home already. I'm really happy that the luck was on my side this time because it wasn't on my side before.”

De Jong will face the biggest challenge of his career when he takes on World No. 4 Jannik Sinner in the second round on Wednesday.

The Dutchman is relishing the chance to test his level against the Italian and gave insight into what fans should expect to see from him on court.

“It is going to be the biggest match of my life,” De Jong said. “It's going to be great. I'm going to prepare well for it and make it a good challenge.

“I have not got the biggest muscles. I'm not the biggest, but I fight. You really have to beat me. I fight for every point and I'm getting more mature by the day. I'm really happy about that. I feel I'm ready to take the next step. I am ready to show the world what I can do. I hope the fans can get behind me and hope for the best for me.”

De Jong, whose tennis idols are Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, has now been on-site at Melbourne Park for one week after earning his first qualifying win on 9 January.

From the lively crowds to the bustling locker rooms, it is uncharted territory for De Jong, but he is starting to find his feet.

“It's special here but It's crowded,” De Jong said. “Oh, it's really crowded! Especially in the players' restaurants! In the qualifying everybody's a little bit on their own and maybe one coach or two. But in the main draw, everybody has such a big team.

“It's different on site as well. On purpose I didn't walk on site because I don't want to get too crowded and I wanted to stay in my bubble. But from now I will enjoy it a little bit.”

Can the two-time ATP Challenger Tour titlist pull off a major upset against Sinner and extend his stay? Watch on Wednesday to find out.