Jackson native and UM champion Devin Britton plays Roger Federer today
It was a wild weekend for the 18-year-old wild card Devin Britton, who learned shortly after noon Thursday that he would face Roger Federer, who is seeking his sixth consecutive United States Open title, in the first round Monday afternoon.
Britton, who received a wild card from the U.S.T.A. for winning the N.C.A.A. men’s title in May, has spent the past few days doing interviews with ESPN and the Tennis Channel, high-fiving Ana Ivanovic in an Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day mixed doubles match, trading jokes with the comedian Will Ferrell and practicing with Rafael Nadal.
A narrow ray of the tennis spotlight fell on Britton, a 6-foot-4 native of Jackson, Miss., when as an unseeded freshman at Mississippi, he became the youngest man to win the collegiate title. But the attention he has received in the past few days has him blinking with disbelief.
Britton may have one secret weapon: he serves and volleys, a style Federer and the other top players rarely encounter.
“Plan A is to serve and volley, maybe not on second serves, but on first serves,” said Britton, who added that he had received a lot of what he called “sarcastic” tactical advice.
NYTimes
8/31/9
hattip NMC
Magnolia Tribune
