Jeffrey John "J. J." Wolf (born December 21, 1998) is an American professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 120 in September 2020. Wolf played collegiately at The Ohio State University, where he was the #1 ranked player in college tennis. J. J. sat with Karl Corbett of Tennis Acumen at the Knoxville Challenger in November, 2019. Here is part of that exclusive interview.
photo credit: Karl Corbett (c) Tennis Acumen
Karl: Coming up through the ranks, the only way you're going to get better is by playing guys that can beat you. So how do you deal with the struggles and the losses?
J.J.: My coach is always telling me: “You either win or you learn.” If you are beating everyone easily, well…. In college last year. I started out real hot. I'm mostly winning throughout the whole year, but I don't feel I was playing as sharp towards the end. When I’m getting comfortable and thinking I'm going to win every match, then I’m not on my toes as much.
So, when you when you play somebody that can beat you, it really pushes you to get better. You see a Roger Federer or a Rafael Nadal, they push each other all the way to the top. They keep getting better.
Karl: I saw a photo on the web of you with Roger Federer. You had your Ohio State shirt on. How long ago was that taken?
J.J.: That must have been two years ago, in Cincinnati, a day or two before I played my first qualifiers match in at the Cincinnati Masters. So, I remember, I was supposed to hit with him, from 8 to 10 that night. He was flying in and walks on the court, maybe an hour late saying: “My jet got in late. I’m sorry.” I said: “Don't worry about it, really.” I think we hit till 11:00. We went from 9:00 to 11:00 at night and then we sat and talked 30 or 40 minutes after that.
Karl: So, he's a gracious guy?
J.J.: He is very gracious. He remembers you, too. You wouldn't think you'd remember someone the way he does. I'd see him in Indian Wells or something and he’d use my first name, say: “Hey, JJ. How are you doing?” It's pretty cool to hear that from one of your heroes.
Karl: That says something about the man.
J.J.: It was very nice, when I've definitely not done anything to deserve that. It makes you look up to the guy.
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