The young British player, Fearnley, who, in less than a year, has gone from not having an ATP ranking to facing the player with the most grand slams in history at Wimbledon.

Fearnley's is a curious story, that has Alcaraz and Sinner, the current two best tennis players -with permission from the Scot's next rival, Novak Djokovic- as supporting characters.

The path taken by Fearnley has been radically opposite to that taken by most of youngsters. He left professional tennis in the background to focus on his university studies in the United States.

Once finished, and with extensive experience in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), he decided to return home and try the professional circuit.

The British player entered the qualifying phase of the Rothesay Challenger in his native country, as an alternate. He began to keep a low profile and beat some of the most renowned opponents on the circuit, such as Yunchaokete, Shang and Bellucci, to win the title against all odds.

That performance earned him a wildcard for Wimbledon, which he obviously did not waste. His first rival, Alejandro Moro Cañas, world number 188 and with experience in major tournaments, was surprised by the Scottish underdog in the third set tie-break.

“I was surprised to win, but this gave me the confidence that I can play against these guys,” Fearnley reflected, taking stock of his meteoric rise in the international tennis scene over the last month.

Fearnley’s victories over the current king of Wimbledon, Alcaraz, and world number one, Sinner, came during his junior years. It is true that he beat the Spaniard when he was 15 while the Scottish player was 17 (he is two years older). However, not many can boast of victories against the two new owners of the ATP tour.

After his aforementioned time in the United States, with a university career included, life would give him the gift of going from not having a ranking, to winning a Challenger; to reaching the top 300 and facing Djokovic.

“It's crazy, I didn't expect this, since they almost kicked me out of the first round of the Challenger,” joked Fearnley, who is now thinking without much pressure about how to face tomorrow his second professional match on the circuit against, for many, the greatest in the history of racket sport.

“I have no idea,” said Fearnley when asked about his strategy to achieve a transcendent victory over a seven-time Wimbledon winner like Novak Djokovic.