Marton Fucsovics, a member of the Last 8 Club at Wimbledon since his quarter-final appearance in 2021, is driven to recapture his finest form.

The top seed in Qualifying this week at the iconic Roehampton grass courts, Fucsovics thrived as the front-runner to dispatch Jurij Rodionov 6-4, 6-3 on Monday.

“If I can say, it’s not good to be here,” joked the world No.103, having narrowly missed out on a main draw spot by one position.

“I’m not thinking of it as ‘Qualifying,’ it’s another tournament for me, which helps me to focus.

“Last year I was injured a bit (wrist and lower back), now I’m fighting back and it’s good to be here.

“After a long time on tour, it’s not easy to keep motivated. Now I’m around the top 100 and I’m very motivated to get back to the very top.”

The former world No.31 ruled SW19 as a teenager, becoming the Wimbledon 2010 boys’ singles champion.

“It means I’m getting old,” quipped the Hungarian. “I remember I had an amazing week, winning without dropping a set. My whole family and friends were there.

“Since that victory, I’ve always had a lot of confidence on the grass. Wimbledon and grass are really close to my heart.

“Wimbledon is the only time I reached the quarter-final of a Grand Slam (2021), I’m very proud of that tournament. Hopefully I can reach the quarters again one day, but it’s going match by match.”

During his standout success at Wimbledon 2021, Fucsovics overcame three top 20 seeds in the shape of Jannik Sinner, Diego Schwartzman and Andrey Rublev. It’s the likes of current world No.1 Sinner and two-time reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz keeping Fucsovics jostling to compete at the top tier.

“Tennis has improved a lot in the past four or five years,” said the 33-year-old. “Younger guys are coming up and playing fearless, hitting so big. The matches are very physical. We ‘older’ guys, say over 30, have to adapt to this game, speed up our game.

“These guys are moving faster, hitting faster, hitting bombs, it’s hard to keep up!”

Paul Jubb has the perfect soundboard for competing at the very highest level.

The home hope lives in a London flat with British No.1 Jack Draper, who has transformed into a top 10 talent and major contender.

“He’s feeling great in himself,” said world No.260 Jubb.

“I was telling him myself, seeing his progression over the past six months to a year, has been so impressive. There’s no reason why he can’t go and do great things in the main draw.

“A hundred per cent it gives me a boost too. We have a lot of honest conversations, he’s so humble and is always trying to help me if he can, give me encouragement, advice, support. Likewise, if he’s struggling, we have a good relationship in that sense.

“It’s definitely great to have Jack by my side and we’re on that journey together.”

Jubb opened his qualifying campaign 6-3, 6-2 to down No.19 seed Thiago Agustin Tirante, defying his opponent and the swirling wind.

Last year was a very different feeling. The 25-year-old was “gutted” to surrender a two-set lead and a match point in the Wimbledon main draw first round against Thiago Seyboth Wild. Jubb rebounded to reach a career-high ranking of No.180 by October, however, by his own admission, he hasn’t kicked on with a turbulent start to 2025.

“There’s been a lot of changes since then, definitely a lot learning, but recently I’ve been simplifying a few things and I’ve now got the right people around me,” stated Jubb.

“I feel like I’ve been rebuilding a bit in the past few months. I always know what I’m capable of, so if I have to work my way back up, that’s what I’ll do.”

The Brit has ‘everything happens for a reason’ tattooed onto his left forearm, an inking he opted for in 2021.

“It’s a mentality. Whatever happens, you can change the narrative to be positive. Kind of like the butterfly effect,” added Jubb, who takes on Giulio Zeppieri next. “All these little things can lead you down a different path and it’s how you choose to respond, to change for the better.

“I’ve had to be resilient. Maybe going through the struggles of the last six months has helped my outlook to push on here and beyond.”

There was further British success when Ryan Peniston took to Show Court No.1 to oust Argentine stalwart Facundo Bagnis 6-3, 6-1. Then, Oliver Tarvet embraced the home crowd energy with a 6-1, 7-6(2) passage past No.14 seed Terence Atmane.

French youngster Luca Van Assche also secured a seeded upset, by edging No.3 Juan Manuel Cerundolo 7-6(5), 6-2.

Rewind to Wimbledon 2022 and Chile’s Cristian Garin soared into the final eight of the main draw at SW19. On Monday, the No.8 seed started his qualifying quest with a commanding 6-3, 6-4 scoreboard against Francesco Maestrelli.