- Jacob Fearley faces Nick Kyrgios in Australian Open first round
- A young man reveals that he will stay away from social networks before the big game
- Kyrgios returns to Grand Slam after long break
Someone had to draw the short straw and it turned out to be the young Scot Jacob Fearnley who has the nightmare of facing Nick Kyrgios in the first round of the Australian Open.
Playing in a protected ranking of 21st, Kyrgios returns to a Grand Slam on Monday after more than two years on the sidelines at Melbourne Park.
The Wimbledon 2022 runner-up always loomed as the most dangerous unseeded floater in the 128-man draw, prompting Fearnley to batten down the hatches almost from the moment he faced Kyrgios on Friday.
'I actually deleted Instagram. I was receiving a lot of messages. I wanted to try to stay as focused as possible,” Fearnley said.
While he will still be a big underdog against a abandoned Kyrgios, Fearnley, 23, is certainly no tennis expert.
The world number 86 made his Grand Slam debut as a Wimbledon wild card last year, advancing to the second round and winning a set against the great Novak Djokovic.
Nick Kyrgios presents a unique first round challenge to Jacob Fearnley (pictured)
Fearnley says he hopes the crowd is against him at John Cain Arena
But he knows he will have done his best if he plays the hometown favorite at his beloved John Cain Arena.
“It's not a game you want to see in Australia,” he said.
'I know the crowd is going to be against me. Obviously there was also a lot of emotion (about the draw) because it is not an ordinary match.
'I've been in some pretty hostile environments. There probably won't be as many people as you'll be seeing on Monday.
I've definitely had some nasty things thrown my way. You just have to ignore it and move on.
“I think the best thing I can do is try to enjoy it as best I can.
'Obviously focusing on myself is one thing. I understand that it will be very difficult to do so. It's still pretty early in my career. “To have an opportunity and experience like this is really cool.”
After being hampered by an abdominal strain, Kyrgios does not have high expectations ahead of his first Grand Slam appearance since reaching the 2022 US Open quarter-finals, then requiring three rounds of wrist and knee surgeries.
Kyrgios returns to Grand Slam after more than two years on the sidelines at Melbourne Park
“I'm taking it day by day,” he said.
“I just enjoyed every moment again, being part of the tournament, walking through the halls, the locker room, seeing everyone again.
'It has been an emotional time for me the last few weeks. “I’m just enjoying being back.”
Kyrgios is among a dozen Australians in action on day two.
Doubles partner Thanasi Kokkinakis, No. 27 seed Jordan Thompson, rising women's star Maya Joint and three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Ajla Tomljanovic are also up.
AUSSIES IN ACTION ON DAY 1 OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN ON MONDAY:
Men's singles, first round:
Nick Kyrgios vs. Jacob Fearnley (GBR)
27-Jordan Thompson vs. Dominik Koepfer (GER)
Chris O'Connell vs. 12-Tommy Paul (USA)
Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Roman Safiullan (RUS)
James Duckworth vs. Dominic Stricker (SUI)
Tristan Schoolkate vs. Taro Daniel (JPN)
James McCabe v Martin Landaluce (ESP) Women's Singles:
Ajla Tomljanovic vs. Ashlyn Krueger (USA)
Maya Joint at 7-Jessica Pegula (United States)
Talia Gibson vs. Zeynep Sonmez (TUR)
Destanee Aiava vs. Greet Minnen (BEL)