Fearnley had been thinking about moving to the United States for a long time, and studying at TCU, where Britons Cameron Norrie and Alastair Gray are alumni, seemed like a logical choice.
“I was always a little underdeveloped physically and school was a big deal, and my parents wanted me to have something to fall back on when tennis wasn’t working,” Fearnley said.
“I also wasn’t mentally ready to play tennis. I wanted five years to develop my game, develop as a person, socialize and meet new people.”
When Fearnley arrived at TCU, the ‘Frogs’ coaching staff initially saw a shy 18-year-old hesitant on the court due to self-doubt.
The nature of American college tennis – the noise, the swearing, the team bonding – is not for the faint-hearted.
“College tennis is a very emotional form of tennis. You get a lot more energy from the players and the rest of the team,” TCU men’s tennis assistant coach Devin Bowen told BBC Sports.
“It was a good environment for Jake because it tested him. It was a great opportunity for him to grow, build character and figure out who he was.
“It’s interesting and fun. But it can also be cruel.”
According to former ATP doubles player Bowen, Fearnley always had “something special” but needed time to believe in his abilities.
Eventually he did.
During his five years in Fort Worth, he earned numerous individual and team awards and won TCU’s first national men’s tennis title.
“His mind was overly dramatic,” Bowen said.
“Five minutes before the game he said: ‘I can’t find my forehand grip. Everything is falling apart.’
“I like to say, ‘You will settle down. Your mind is playing tricks on you.’
“Now he has the experience and a little bit of wisdom to know what the mind is doing before a big game.”
