On this edition of the Cracked Interviews, American tennis player and Rhode Island native Jared Donaldson joins the pod to discuss reaching his career high ATP ranking of 50 in the world in 2017, spending his junior career in Argentina, the pros and cons of the innovative rules at the #NextGenATP finals in Milan, and how slim the margins can be to make a jump in the highest levels of professional tennis.

Donaldson was recently featured in our #NextGen🇺🇸 series, covering the top 11 young American players under the age of 21.

Bio: Born in Providence, RI, 21 years old, 6’2” 165lbs (though we think he’s “skinny-fat””). Goes by the nickname “JD”. Used to have an earring (2:40 mark of the video). Thick East Coast accent, but seems like a fun interview. Has stated repeatedly that he drinks coffee every morning. Video Game skills = Tennis skills. Live ATP singles ranking: #53

Gamestyle: Aggressive baseliner. Tremendous power on his groundstrokes. Enjoy how compact the groundstrokes are as well. Uses his heavy forehand to move opponents around. When he’s at his best, the backhand down the line is flourishing. Not the most consistent player, but certainly getting better. Has hit some horrendous drop shots during his day, but the backhand slice is improving (sort of). Not too comfortable at the net. 1st serve percentage has always been an issue, though he’s made a jump from 45% to around 52% (extremely important to watch, as Donaldson needs to dictate to succeed). Returns well. Improving mover on the court, though it still hampers him against top players. Well coached.

Social Media Presence: Instagram/Twitter accounts suggest he’s a professional tennis player, though he’s not the most active user. He’s “ready to go to war right now.” Would like to see more of his Video Game endeavors. Favorite movie: Good Will Hunting. Avid reader. Claims to be the cheapest of the #NextGen Americans. Team Nike ✔

Best Junior Results: Played few junior events. Spent two years training in Argentina. #1 seed at 2014 Boys 18’s Kalamazoo (lost to Altamirano), Finalist at 2013 Boys 18’s Kalamazoo (lost to Altamirano). By 18, he had already cracked the ATP singles Top 300.

Best Pro Results: 25-25 on the year. Four career titles: 2014 Turkey F19 Futures, 2014 USA F15 Futures, 2014 USA F17 Futures, 2015 Maui Challenger. Reached quarterfinals at 2017 Cincinnati, Rd of 32 at 2016 US Open/2017 Wimbledon. Played ATP events for the majority of the year. Wins over David Goffin, Lucas Pouille, Roberto Bautista Agut, Dudi Sela, Benoit Paire, Adrian Mannarino, Mischa Zverev.

#NextGen🇺🇸 Wins: Noah Rubin, Ernesto Escobedo, Stefan Kozlov, Frances Tiafoe, Andrey Rublev, Hyeon Chung, Stefanos Tsitsipas

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