By Martyn Herman
LONDON (Reuters) -Nicolas Jarry has been to hell and back in the last year but on Friday on a sun-kissed court in south-west London the towering Chilean put the dark days behind him to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time in his career.
Those with tickets for what was billed as a South American showdown on Court Two had expected to see Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca underline why he is tipped as the next big thing.
The 18-year-old showed flashes of the shot-making that will surely make him a contender for Grand Slam titles but it was the 29-year-old Jarry who produced a display of skill and guts to win a slow-burner 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-6(4).
Fonseca could be excused for thinking Jarry was serving down from an Andean peak in the opening two sets as he seemed powerless to make any impact on a weapon that produced 25 aces throughout the contest, many on crucial points.
But as the seats that were empty early on began to fill with chanting fans the atmosphere suddenly became more Copacabana than leafy west London and Rio-born Fonseca came to the party.
Fonseca took the third set and as the crowd greeted his winners with a chorus of ‘Joooaooww…Fon-Seca’ it seemed the match was swinging his way.
Jarry saved three break points at 3-3 in the fourth set, one with a stunning half-volley pick-up, and was staring down the barrel two games later at 0-40 as Fonseca, who twice needed treatment during the contest, whipped up the crowd with a couple of stunning passes
Undaunted, Jarry served his way out of a hole and then reeled off five points in a row from a 2-4 deficit in the tiebreak to claim victory and match his grandfather Jaime Fillol who reached the last 16 at Wimbledon in 1974.
“I came here with him when I was 10 years old and 11. Since then, I’m in love with this tournament,” said Jarry, whose career was also de-railed in 2020 when he received a doping ban after testing positive for two banned substances, both of which the International Tennis Federation (ITF) accepted had arisen from contaminated vitamins from a Brazilian pharmacy.
He was overcome with emotion, hugged his wife and then brought his young son on court after the match was over, before opening his heart about what he has endured in the past year.
Those not in the know would have been surprised to hear the former top-20 player describe how he was diagnosed with vestibular neuritis — a condition which inflames the nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain and causes vertigo and imbalance.
“I had the issue which affected my perception, my balance and I’ve been trying to come back and recover,” an emotional Jarry said. “It’s been physically, emotionally and psychologically very tough.”
Such was the impact of the condition that after reaching the Rome final last year, his form fell off a cliff, the wins dried up, and his ranking plummeted outside the top 100.
He had to qualify for Wimbledon this year, winning three matches, but now he is looking forward to the prospect of a clash with Britain’s Cameron Norrie on Sunday.
“When I finished it was pure joy,” said Jarry, who could become only the fourth Chilean to reach the men’s singles quarter-finals in the professional era. “I’m very happy to be here because it’s difficult to be in the fourth round of a Slam.”
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Clare Fallon)
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