Paul Jubb is no ordinary British tennis story.
The 19-year-old, born on Halloween, will make his Wimbledon debut next week but his upbringing is a far cry from the middle class snobbery long associated with The All England Club.
Jubb, who grew up with friends who had little interest in tennis, was orphaned at a young age and had moved in with his grandmother in Hull by the age of four.
Its clear Jubb – Jubbie to those who know him well – has a strong emotional tie to his parents deaths. Indeed, their names are tattooed on his chest. But its clear he does not want to dwell on his backstory.
Jonny Carmichael [a coach Jubb worked with in Hull] has always engrained that into my head because I did have a little stage when I was younger when i did get a little self pity, he told a small group of journalists at Wimbledon.
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He always was like, “This is your situation and you cant change it, so if youre going to moan about it youre not going to get anywhere”.
Youve got to make the most of what youve got and from that point on thats always been the mentality Ive had. It is what it is and youve just got to work hard and do you.
Thats the mentality Ive had and thats why Ive said Im so lucky to have had the people Ive had around me. Theyve not allowed me to look at it that way and they just said youve got to get on with it. Thats been what it is. Thats the truth.
A big thing for me is just making the people who have helped me along the way proud. The ones closest to me know who they are. I think a lot of the reasons why I push myself so hard is obviously for myself and my self drive but a huge part of it is just obviously Ive had to have help along the way.
A big reason why I try so hard and work so hard is for those people who have invested time into me. Just making those people proud is a big thing for me.
Pride must be flowing through the veins of those who know the young Liverpool fan well after a remarkable rise in 2019.
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Little known beyond those fully versed behind the scenes of British tennis before this year, Jubb – who moved to the States as a 16-year-old, in part thanks to advice from LTA coach James Trotman – made headlines when he followed in the footsteps of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors to win the prestigious NCAA mens singles title in Orlando, representing the University of South Carolina.
Despite claiming the title, Jubb will be denied wildcard entry to the US Open – a usual perk that comes with victory – because he is not American, but he will get the chance to shine at his home Slam instead after being handed a main draw wildcard by Wimbledon chiefs.
Who is Paul Jubb?
Age: 19
Nationality: British
Born: York
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Football team: Liverpool (favourite current player: Roberto Firmino)
Favourite footballer: Ronaldinho
Favourite tennis player: Novak Djokovic
Jubb has been given a taste of life as a professional tennis player during the British grass-court season, competing at Challenger level in Surbiton, Nottingham and Ilkley before remarkably battling through qualifying at Eastbourne, beating tour veteran Denis Istomin – who famously knocked Novak Djokovic out of the 2017 Australian Open – and Russian world No. 78 Andrey Rublev to reach the first round.
Despite his success – and the fact he will be unable to collect his full prize money due to American college regulations – he intends to continue as an amateur before returning to complete his studies overseas.
What would see him abandon education in favour of the immediate lure of playing pro tennis?
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If I won Wimbledon maybe! Jubb joked. Just figuring out what is best for me really. I am still young. I dont feel a rush right now to go on to the pro tour. I am still developing my body physically.
Theres a smart head on his young shoulders and Jubb recognises he is not as privileged as many of the more financially stable young Brits hoping to take a full crack at becoming a tennis superstar.
Perhaps its no surprise to learn that Frances Tiafoe has been a hugely influential figure in the young Yorkshiremans life. First as an idol, now as a friend.
American Tiafoes background is similarly unfamiliar to top-level tennis. Born into a family of west African immigrants, the 21-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals at the Australian Open earlier this year, used to sleep on the floor of a tennis centre in Maryland where his father was a janitor.
Despite his disadvantaged upbringing, Tiafoe became a top junior and it was at that point a 14-year-old Jubb found his own true inspiration.
I was watching a load of stuff of him on YouTube. Obviously his background was pretty tough. He kind of had a similar thing, Jubb said. I remember having a cheesy conversation with Jonny Carmichael, my coach who was in Hull. I messaged him a few paragraphs, saying if this guy can do it…
He was doing well in the juniors and he had a lot of exposure then. You could obviously see how much he loved the game and how hungry he was to make that jump into the pro tour and stuff, and it was easy to see for me. That was kind of the same hunger, the same hunger I still have now – it was just very relatable. Thats why it was so inspirational for me.
He gave me a lot of belieRead More – Source
Paul Jubb is no ordinary British tennis story.
The 19-year-old, born on Halloween, will make his Wimbledon debut next week but his upbringing is a far cry from the middle class snobbery long associated with The All England Club.
Jubb, who grew up with friends who had little interest in tennis, was orphaned at a young age and had moved in with his grandmother in Hull by the age of four.
Its clear Jubb – Jubbie to those who know him well – has a strong emotional tie to his parents deaths. Indeed, their names are tattooed on his chest. But its clear he does not want to dwell on his backstory.
Jonny Carmichael [a coach Jubb worked with in Hull] has always engrained that into my head because I did have a little stage when I was younger when i did get a little self pity, he told a small group of journalists at Wimbledon.
Advertisement
Advertisement
He always was like, “This is your situation and you cant change it, so if youre going to moan about it youre not going to get anywhere”.
Youve got to make the most of what youve got and from that point on thats always been the mentality Ive had. It is what it is and youve just got to work hard and do you.
Thats the mentality Ive had and thats why Ive said Im so lucky to have had the people Ive had around me. Theyve not allowed me to look at it that way and they just said youve got to get on with it. Thats been what it is. Thats the truth.
A big thing for me is just making the people who have helped me along the way proud. The ones closest to me know who they are. I think a lot of the reasons why I push myself so hard is obviously for myself and my self drive but a huge part of it is just obviously Ive had to have help along the way.
A big reason why I try so hard and work so hard is for those people who have invested time into me. Just making those people proud is a big thing for me.
Pride must be flowing through the veins of those who know the young Liverpool fan well after a remarkable rise in 2019.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Little known beyond those fully versed behind the scenes of British tennis before this year, Jubb – who moved to the States as a 16-year-old, in part thanks to advice from LTA coach James Trotman – made headlines when he followed in the footsteps of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors to win the prestigious NCAA mens singles title in Orlando, representing the University of South Carolina.
Despite claiming the title, Jubb will be denied wildcard entry to the US Open – a usual perk that comes with victory – because he is not American, but he will get the chance to shine at his home Slam instead after being handed a main draw wildcard by Wimbledon chiefs.
Who is Paul Jubb?
Age: 19
Nationality: British
Born: York
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Football team: Liverpool (favourite current player: Roberto Firmino)
Favourite footballer: Ronaldinho
Favourite tennis player: Novak Djokovic
Jubb has been given a taste of life as a professional tennis player during the British grass-court season, competing at Challenger level in Surbiton, Nottingham and Ilkley before remarkably battling through qualifying at Eastbourne, beating tour veteran Denis Istomin – who famously knocked Novak Djokovic out of the 2017 Australian Open – and Russian world No. 78 Andrey Rublev to reach the first round.
Despite his success – and the fact he will be unable to collect his full prize money due to American college regulations – he intends to continue as an amateur before returning to complete his studies overseas.
What would see him abandon education in favour of the immediate lure of playing pro tennis?
Advertisement
If I won Wimbledon maybe! Jubb joked. Just figuring out what is best for me really. I am still young. I dont feel a rush right now to go on to the pro tour. I am still developing my body physically.
Theres a smart head on his young shoulders and Jubb recognises he is not as privileged as many of the more financially stable young Brits hoping to take a full crack at becoming a tennis superstar.
Perhaps its no surprise to learn that Frances Tiafoe has been a hugely influential figure in the young Yorkshiremans life. First as an idol, now as a friend.
American Tiafoes background is similarly unfamiliar to top-level tennis. Born into a family of west African immigrants, the 21-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals at the Australian Open earlier this year, used to sleep on the floor of a tennis centre in Maryland where his father was a janitor.
Despite his disadvantaged upbringing, Tiafoe became a top junior and it was at that point a 14-year-old Jubb found his own true inspiration.
I was watching a load of stuff of him on YouTube. Obviously his background was pretty tough. He kind of had a similar thing, Jubb said. I remember having a cheesy conversation with Jonny Carmichael, my coach who was in Hull. I messaged him a few paragraphs, saying if this guy can do it…
He was doing well in the juniors and he had a lot of exposure then. You could obviously see how much he loved the game and how hungry he was to make that jump into the pro tour and stuff, and it was easy to see for me. That was kind of the same hunger, the same hunger I still have now – it was just very relatable. Thats why it was so inspirational for me.
He gave me a lot of belieRead More – Source
