Although some sporting developments happen quickly, Jacob Fearnley’s progress has been played out at warp speed.
Just over a year ago, the 23-year-old Brit was unranked in the professional tennis world.
Six months ago, he was still a college student in the United States.
This week Fearnley moved into the top 100 in the world on the ATP Tour – a major milestone that dangles the carrot of direct entry into the blue-riband Grand Slam events.
“It’s obviously not what I expected,” said the Scot, who moved to 98th in his career on Thursday.
“It came a little faster than I, the rest of the people around me – and probably everyone – thought. I am aware that this is not the norm.”
Make no mistake: it’s a remarkable increase.
Fearnley’s climb to 98th in the world from 646th at the start of this year is the fourth biggest in the top 100 since 2000, according to ATP statistics.
Earlier this year, he graduated from Texas Christian University (TCU) with a degree in kinesiology – the study of human movement.
This is the point at which Fearnley’s ascent accelerated.
University experience suppressed self-doubt
Moving to the US had long been on Fearnley’s radar, and studying at TCU – where fellow countrymen Cameron Norrie and Alastair Gray were alumni – seemed a logical choice.
“I was always a bit underdeveloped physically and school was a big thing. My parents wanted me to have something to fall back on if tennis didn’t work out,” Fearnley said.
“I also didn’t feel mentally ready to play tennis. I wanted to spend five years developing my game, developing as a person, socializing and meeting new people.”
When Fearnley arrived at TCU, the ‘Frogs’ coaching staff saw a shy 18-year-old boy who was initially held back on the field by self-doubt.
The nature of American college tennis – all the noise, trash talk and team bonding – is not for the faint of heart.
“College tennis is a very emotional form of tennis. There is a lot more energy coming from the players and other teams,” Devin Bowen, assistant men’s tennis coach at TCU, told BBC Sport.
“It was a great environment for Jake because it tested him. It’s a good opportunity to grow up, build character and find out who you are.
“It’s exciting and a lot of fun. But it can also be really brutal.”
Fearnley always had “something special” but needed time to trust his abilities, according to former ATP doubles player Bowen.
Eventually he did.
A five-year stint in Fort Worth produced a host of individual and team accolades, culminating in TCU’s first national men’s tennis title.
“His mind always became overly dramatic,” Bowen said.
“Five minutes before the match he said, ‘I can’t find the grip on my forehand. It’s all falling apart.’
“I’d say, ‘You’ll settle down, your mind is playing tricks on you.’
“Now he has experience and a little bit of wisdom, to know that this is what the mind does before big matches.”
Patience on ‘your own path’ pays off
Fearnley’s love of tennis came through mother Samantha and his grandfather.
Born in the English cathedral city of Worcester, he moved to Edinburgh at the age of two and grew up in the Scottish capital.
From backyard knock-arounds with a bat and ball at the age of two, he progressed to honing his skills on courses near his home in Dalkeith.
At the age of 11, he moved to Merchiston, Scotland’s only independent all-boys boarding school with a tennis academy.
By then he was already in contact with the crème de la crème of Britain’s next generation of youngsters.
One of them was Jack Draper.
The British number one, who is ranked 20th in the world after reaching the semi-finals of last month’s US Open, is five months younger than Fearnley.
The couple goes way back. Last week, Draper shared a slightly blurry photo of them as starry-eyed kids on Center Court.
Draper’s journey through the junior ranks was more successful, however, culminating in an appearance in the 2018 Wimbledon boys’ final.
Although there were notable victories against Grand Slam champions Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in his junior days, Fearnley’s teenage development was slow.
“People around me – my coaches at the time and my parents – said everyone has their own path,” Fearnley said.
“I was very patient. I didn’t compare myself to anyone.
“Jack [Draper] was just a lot better than me and that’s totally fine.
“I don’t think it would have been good for my tennis if I compared myself to someone like him.”
Will Fearnley’s rise continue?
Within weeks of leaving TCU, Fearnley returned to Britain for the grass court season.
Winning an ATP Challenger title in Nottingham was the first step into the spotlight at home.
The second success led to a wildcard entry into Wimbledon and ultimately a match against 24-time champion Novak Djokovic on Center Court, giving him invaluable experience.
After Wimbledon, Fearnley switched back to the hard court and has recorded 20 wins in his past 21 matches on the Challenger Tour.
The series’ hat-trick of titles (one in the US and two in France) has propelled it into the top 100.
No player has come close to the 547 places he has climbed this season.
Fearnley will of course be hoping that reaching the top 100 won’t be the end of his rise.
But he has only played two tour-level events this year: Wimbledon and Eastbourne.
The move to the main ATP Tour, where consistency and clarity of thought distinguishes the best, will be a real test.
Fearnley describes himself as an “aggressive counter-puncher” whose strength lies in his movement and getting “a lot of balls” on the pitch.
He plans to play qualifying matches in Stockholm, Basel and Vienna before the end of the season.
“The levels are getting higher, everyone is doing things a little better, so it’s just adapting my game to the demands of the sport,” he said.
“I’ll see how my game does at the ATP events.
“Whatever the outcome, I will learn a lot from those experiences and use that to improve my game.”
