Jacob Fearnley: How the British tennis star rose from Texas Christian University to the ATP Tour top 100

Moving to the US had long been on Fearnley’s radar, and studying at TCU – where fellow countrymen Cameron Norrie and Alastair Gray were alumni – seemed a logical choice.

“I was always a bit underdeveloped physically and school was a big thing. My parents wanted me to have something to fall back on if tennis didn’t work out,” Fearnley said.

“I also didn’t feel mentally ready to play tennis. I wanted to spend five years developing my game, developing as a person, socializing and meeting new people.”

When Fearnley arrived at TCU, the ‘Frogs’ coaching staff saw a shy 18-year-old boy who was initially held back on the field by self-doubt.

The nature of American college tennis – all the noise, trash talk and team bonding – is not for the faint of heart.

“College tennis is a very emotional form of tennis. There is a lot more energy coming from the players and other teams,” Devin Bowen, assistant men’s tennis coach at TCU, told BBC Sport.

“It was a great environment for Jake because it tested him. It’s a good opportunity to grow up, build character and find out who you are.

“It’s exciting and a lot of fun. But it can also be really brutal.”

Fearnley always had “something special” but needed time to trust his abilities, according to former ATP doubles player Bowen.

Eventually he did.

A five-year stint in Fort Worth produced a host of individual and team accolades, culminating in TCU’s first national men’s tennis title.

“His mind always became overly dramatic,” Bowen said.

“Five minutes before the match he said, ‘I can’t find the grip on my forehand. It’s all falling apart.’

“I’d say, ‘You’ll settle down, your mind is playing tricks on you.’

“Now he has experience and a little bit of wisdom, to know that this is what the mind does before big matches.”