George Loffhagen was left pinching himself after going from pulling pints in a pub to preparing to take on highly-fancied Holger Rune on his Wimbledon debut.
The 22-year-old Londoner was a highly-rated junior but struggled with the difficult transition to senior tennis and hung up his racket in the summer of 2021.
Academically as well as athletically gifted, Loffhagen returned to his studies and, to earn some cash, worked at the Marlborough Head in Marble Arch behind the bar and collecting glasses.
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“It was a bit of both because I hadn’t worked in a pub before,” he said. “I needed to learn on the job. It wasn’t too bad. There were a few (troublemakers) but it wasn’t too rowdy, it was OK.”
A more different environment to Wimbledon would be difficult to find, and the idea that he might be playing at the All England Club less than two years later would have appeared fanciful.
But Loffhagen began to feel the pull of the yellow ball again and he returned to the tour last August.
“I struggled with expectations and stuff and I think the time out allowed me to mature a bit,” he said. “I feel like I’m able to put things into perspective a bit better and that allows me to enjoy my time on court a bit more.
“I feel like I always loved playing tennis but outside factors prevented me from just enjoying my tennis as much. I’m just happy to be playing and that’s the main thing at the moment. I wanted to play again and not have any regrets.”
The break certainly appears to have done Loffhagen good. In less than a year he has gone from having no ranking to a place in the world’s top 400, winning two titles and doing enough to earn a wild card from the All England Club.
The draw threw up an exciting clash with sixth seed Rune, and Loffhagen added: “I’m just really happy to be in the position where I’m able to play a match at Wimbledon because I definitely didn’t think that was something that was going to happen. I just want to enjoy the experience and hopefully play well.”
Loffhagen is one of three home debutants in the main singles draws this year alongside 20-year-old Arthur Fery and German-turned-Brit Jan Choinski.
Fery, who has two French parents but grew up in Wimbledon, will also get the chance to take on one of the title favourites having been paired with third seed Daniil Medvedev in the draw.
He said of his reaction: “It was excitement mostly. Any draw I would have taken and I would have been happy with but playing one of the top seeds is always exciting. Hopefully I can rise to the challenge.
“Playing the top seeds it’s always best to play them in the first few rounds when they haven’t played on the grass. Daniil didn’t play here last year so I’m confident, I back myself.
“It’s a great position, I love being the underdog. I’m going to go out, swing freely and play loose. I’ve got nothing to lose.”
Fery also opted not to throw himself into professional tennis life after finishing juniors but took a different path to Loffhagen, heading off on a scholarship to Stanford University.
He has excelled in the college tennis system, which is becoming an ever more popular route to the pro game, and has played enough tournaments to also earn a ranking in the top 400.
Fery, who remembers watching Medvedev win the US Open in 2021 on the Tube on his way back from the Wireless music festival, hopes his college experiences will stand him in good stead on Tuesday.
“The big matches are fun,” he said. “Crowds come out and the whole team feels like it’s important. It’s definitely not a Wimbledon crowd, it’s pretty rowdy and people aren’t always too nice to you but it’s good, it builds character and being able to deal with all that stuff is beneficial for the future.”
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Fery, whose father Loic is the owner of both a hedge fund and French top division football team Lorient, will decide in January whether to complete his final year at Stanford or commit fully to tennis.
Choinski will be an unfamiliar name to most British fans but, having pushed his ranking up to 167, the tall 27-year-old has been awarded a wild card for the first time.
He represented his native Germany until 2018 when he opted to switch to Britain courtesy of his British mother Dominque.
A professional ballet dancer, she grew up in Southampton before studying at the Royal Ballet School and then moving to Germany, where she met Polish dancer Andrzej Choinski.
The couple own a ballet school but, for their son, dancing was a passion only as preparation for tennis.
Choinski is grateful for the support he has received from British tennis, and said: “I really enjoy being here and I really have enjoyed playing the whole grass-court season. It’s a totally new experience because I haven’t played a lot on grass. I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunities I got.”
Nadal facing difficult decision over French Open involvement
Rafael Nadal will do everything he can to play at the French Open this month, but he admits he has a decision to make on his involvement after crashing out of the Italian Open on Saturday.
Nadal – a 10-time champion in Rome – suffered a resounding 6-1 6-3 defeat against Hubert Hurkacz on the clay, the Pole producing a polished performance to halt his run in the second round.
The Spaniard has said he will likely call time on his glittering career at the end of the season, having been troubled by hip and abdominal injuries in recent years.
The 37-year-old was also beaten by Jiri Lehecka in the last 16 at the Madrid Open last month, and he acknowledges he is currently some way short of the level required to challenge for a record-extending 15th French Open title.
Speaking after Saturday's defeat, Nadal said: "The time has come to make a decision, in case I might not play Roland-Garros.
"One is to say, 'okay, I am not ready, I am not playing well enough'.
"Another is to accept how I am today and work the proper way to try to be in a different way in two weeks. If I have to say which side I lean towards, it's to try to play it and give my best.
"Physically I have some issues, but probably not enough to say no to playing in the most important event of my tennis career."
The year's second grand slam begins at Roland Garros on May 20, with the men's singles final taking place on June 9.
Medvedev and Osaka through with straight-sets wins at Italian Open
Daniil Medvedev and Noami Osaka both advanced at the Italian Open with straight-sets wins on Saturday, the former eliminating Britain's Jack Draper with a 7-5 6-4 success.
Second seed Medvedev – who won the Rome event last year – was tested by Draper, the world number four saving seven of 10 break points faced in a one-hour, 47-minute contest.
Draper was in the ascendency when he broke Medvedev's serve to make it 5-5 in the first set, but Medvedev hit straight back before serving out the opener.
The Russian stepped things up from there and raced into a 5-1 lead in the second set, one Draper was unable to overturn as Medvedev teed up a last-32 clash with Hamad Medjedovic for Sunday.
In the women's draw, four-time grand slam champion Osaka overcame 10th seed Daria Kasatkina in another impressive straight-sets triumph, two days after recording her first clay-court win over a top-20 opponent in Marta Kostyuk.
She eased to a 6-3 6-3 victory in Saturday's last-32 encounter and will now face China's Qinwen Zheng for a place in the quarter-finals on Monday.
Data Debrief: Osaka's new love for clay
Coming into this year's Italian Open, Osaka was 0-8 throughout her career against top-20 opponents on clay, but she has now recorded two such wins in a row for the very first time.
Nadal crashes out of Italian Open with straight-sets defeat to Hurkacz
Rafael Nadal is out of the Italian Open after he was defeated in straight sets by Hubert Hurkacz in Rome on Saturday.
Nadal is a 10-time Italian Open champion, but his chances of an 11th and likely final title in Rome were ended in ruthless fashion by Hurkacz, who dominated on his way to a comfortable 6-1 6-3 triumph.
While Nadal held in his first service game of the second-round match, Hurkacz quickly took over and broke his 37-year-old opponent twice as he controlled the opening set.
Nadal showed some resolve in the second set, but a break of his serve in the third game left him with an uphill battle.
World number nine Hurkacz was in charge, and it was a position of control he would not relinquish as he broke Nadal once more to clinch victory.
Hurkacz will now take on Tomas Martin Etcheverry as he bids to reach the fourth round for the maiden time in Rome. For Nadal, who has indicated he will retire after the 2024 season, this will not have been how he wished to bow out in Rome as he prepares for the start of the French Open later this month.
Data debrief
Hurkacz became just the third player to concede fewer than five games en route to victory over Nadal on clay at ATP level, along with Olivier Rochus (Mallorca round of 16 2002) and Gaston Gaudio (Hamburg round of 16 2003).
Hurkacz dominated his contest with Nadal, winning all eight of his service games and breaking the 22-time grand slam champion on four occasions as he eased into the fourth round.
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