Next test no Joke for Brooksby
No one all year has figured out how to beat Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam match. Now it’s Jenson Brooksby’s turn to try — and the way he, and his coach since age 7, went about things ahead of time was as original as the 20-year-old Californian’s playing style.
Brooksby, who began this season ranked outside the top 300 and is now a career-best 99th, is a wildcard entry at this surprise-filled U.S. Open. He takes on No. 1 Djokovic in Arthur Ashe Stadium tonight for a quarterfinal berth.
“I believe I have the game, definitely, to go all the way. I didn’t doubt that in my own mind. I didn’t put any expectations like reach a second week or anything. I don’t really think like that,” said Brooksby, whose oncourt approach is all about spins and angles, highlighted by an unusual two-handed backhand slice. “I do have the confidence in myself that I can go really far in whatever tournament I play. Obviously, the next one’s another big match, but just try to prepare the same as all the others.”
So how to go about getting ready for a Week 2 debut at a Slam in a 23,000-capacity arena against one of the greats? A long day of practice and detailed game-planning? Not quite.
Brooksby’s coach, Joe Gilbert, opted for rest Sunday, staying away from the courts completely. And, as is usually the case, they will not discuss tactics until right before Brooksby walks out of the locker room to play Djokovic.
“This is all brand new,” Gilbert said in an interview with The Associated Press. “But I feel like, because I’ve been with him so long, knowing what he needs to be good, to be ready for the match, is pretty easy. ... In his world, (under-18 national) finals when he was 17 was huge. This is a much bigger feeling, but it’s similar: ‘Hey, this is new. I have emotions, feelings.’ All that kind of stuff.”
They connected when Gilbert gave tennis lessons to Brooksby’s parents. Gilbert, whose JMG Tennis Academy in Sacramento develops juniors, says he saw little Jenson hitting a ball off a wall, was impressed by his focus, and asked against whom he was “playing” in his head; the answer: Rafael Nadal.
Thus began a relationship that is as much about mentoring as it is coaching.
Brooksby spent the start of the year nearly unbeatable on the lower-level ATP Challenger Tour. Now he’s the youngest U.S. man since Andy Roddick in 2002 to reach the fourth round at the Open and will face Djokovic, who owns 20 Slam titles and is 24-0 at the majors in 2021.