The greatest moment of his career so far came when he received a wildcard to play at the grass court Grand Slam and play in front of his home fans.

That was not all, as Jacob Fearnley took on the seven-time champion at the All-England Club, Novak Djokovic.

What was Jacob Fearnley told by a Wimbledon official about Novak Djokovic?

Fearnley reached the second round of Wimbledon on debut by beating Alejandro Moro Canas 7-5, 6-4, 7-6(12).

The 23-year-old set up a match against Djokovic, who was going in pursuit of his eighth Wimbledon title.

Fearnley admitted his nerves ahead of the biggest match of his career, and a conversation he had with a Wimbledon official about his opponent before the match, only exacerbated how he was feeling.

“It was tough. I was so scared. I don’t want to sound weird but he has so much aura about him,” Fearnley told The Changeover Podcast.

“I didn’t know where he was before the match, I was warming up, like taking some breaths and then you have the guy who is running it, and he’s telling me that we are on Novak’s time.

“We are going when Djokovic [wants]. He said that we will wait for him. I am thinking Centre Court Wimbledon, there has to be some kind of timing we are following here!”

Jacob Fearnley describes facing Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon

Fearnley certainly made the most of his opportunity against Djokovic at Wimbledon, the biggest stage in tennis.

He went down two sets against the Serbian, but that seemed to free up his game and Fearnley, playing with no fear, took set three. He pushed Djokovic hard in the fifth set, but the 24-time Grand Slam winner ultimately won 6-3 6-4 5-7 7-5.

Fearny was proud of performance and gave Djokovic the ultimate compliment despite his best attempts to intimidate the World number 99.

“Then I walk out and I am standing at the gym, you go down and walk up the stairs and through and down the members bit. And I am standing at the top and the doors below open and Novak is there,” Fearnley recalled. “He sees me waiting at the top and he is still doing his stuff and his bands.

“He knows I am super nervous and he’s making me stand there. I have started to cool down a bit, adrenaline is rising and he is at the bottom bouncing about with his team, doing exercises, and when he wanted to go – obviously he wasn’t taking the p**s – he was still within five minutes or when we wanted to go on but he was still making me wait. It was obviously a tactic.

“You feel like such a small child while he is doing that stuff. I don’t think it’s as bad as Rafa. But when I am walking and I am walking first and he is walking behind me, you just feel it. But when I walked on court I actually settled down a bit because honestly I felt there is no getting out of it now.

“I was so nervous the night before I just didn’t want to get smoked. In my he’d I was thinking what is it that I haven’t experienced yet that has won him 24 Grand Slams. But he lets you play, he gives you some rhythm, he is just better than everyone else.”

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