My background made me stronger, says Brit

stage when I was younger when I did get a little self- pity.

“He always was like, ‘ This is your situation and y you can’t change it, so if you’re ou’re going to moan about t it you’re not going to o get anywhere’.

“You’ve got to make the most of what you’ve got and from that point on n that’s always been the he mentality I’ve had.

“I’m so lucky to have had the people I’ve had around me. They’ve not allowed me to look at it that way and they just said you’ve got to get on with it.” Liverpool fan Jubb’s football heroes are Brazilians Ronaldinho and Roberto Firmino but his tennis role model is Frances Tiafoe, below. And watching the American – who is the son of imm immigrants from Sierra L Leone and who learnt t tennis in the centre where his father worked – helped c convince Jubb to ch choose the sport over foo football after he was scout scouted by Hull City.

“I think I was 14 or 15 and I saw Tiafoe on YouTube,” Jubb said.

“Obviously his background was pretty tough. He kind of had a similar thing. I remember I messaged Jonny a few paragraphs saying, ‘ If this guy can do it...’

“He gave me a lot of belief to think that I can do it as well. You could obviously see how much he loved the game and how hungry he was to make that jump into the pro tour, and it was easy to see for me.

“That was kind of the same hunger I still have now. That’s why it was so inspirational for me. I’ve hit with him and we’re friends now. It’s been really good to actually make a connection with him.”

Now Jubb, who came through the LTA system, wants to be a similar example for other British kids.

“It would be nice to give people that belief, that if you do have a tough background it shouldn’t be used as an excuse, and at the end of the day it’s down to you,” he said.

“If you’re willing to put in the hard work anything is possible.” 1990: 2000: 2005: 2012: 2018: