Jacob Fearnley Ready for Wild Aussie Crowd

Jacob Fearnley is set to face Australian crowd favorite Nick Kyrgios in a highly anticipated first-round match at the Australian Open. The 23-year-old, making his Grand Slam debut will play on Monday at 19:00 local time (08:00 GMT) at Melbourne Park’s John Cain Arena known for its boisterous atmosphere. Despite the likely intense crowd support for Kyrgios, Fearnley remains confident, drawing from his experience playing in “hostile environments” in the U.S. college tennis system.

“I’ve definitely had some nasty things thrown at me,” he said, “but you just have to ignore it and move on.” Kyrgios, 29, returns to Grand Slam action after an injury-plagued absence. Though a polarizing figure, Melbourne fans adore him. Fearnley, who respects Kyrgios, recognizes the Australian’s impact on the sport, saying, “He increases viewership and puts people in seats.”

In preparation for the match, Jacob Fearnley deleted Instagram to remain focused, avoiding distractions from the influx of messages following the draw. Also on day two of the tournament, British men’s number one Jack Draper will face Argentina’s Mariano Navone. Draper, seeded 15th, returns to competitive tennis after recovering from a hip injury, having trained with top players like Novak Djokovic.

In the women’s draw, British number seven Jodie Burrage, who used a protected injury ranking after a six-month layoff, takes on France’s Leolia Jeanjean. Meanwhile, former world number one Andy Murray, now coaching Djokovic will be in the stands. Murray retired in August but could not pass up the chance to help Djokovic aim for a record-extending 11th men’s title at this year’s tournament.