“I think sometimes parts of what people say are accurate, but other things they say are less accurate,” Jenson Brooksby says over the phone after reaching his third ATP semifinal of the season in Seoul.
On a tour where style has homogenized as much as surface and ball speed, the 6’4” Brooksby has been a breath of fresh air, employing an unorthodox approach to match play that has felled players like Stefanos Tsitsipas and Félix Auger-Aliassime and famously flummoxed Novak Djokovic throughout an entertaining four-setter at the 2021 US Open.
But though he lacks the weaponry of friendly rival Reilly Opelka, who has heaped praise on his young countryman, the newly-turned 22-year-old believes his game can have a similar effect.
“When people say I’m a defensive player, that’s an inaccurate statement,” he adds with some emphasis. “It’s funny, because I sometimes see people say that.”
Brooksby insists he largely stays off social media—opting instead for sports highlights on YouTube—but it’s clear he’s aware of the noise surrounding his game, not all of it positive.
“People try to understand my game, but if everyone knew how my coach and I trained, I think more people would be doing it. When my game is locked in and I’ve been training to a point where I have high confidence, I’m able to employ my strategy at a high level.”