'My mum is a member of the last 8 club but there aren't many videos'
Jack Secord arrived for his post-match media duties just as fellow American Taylor Fritz was winning a fourth set tiebreak to complete a quarter-final victory over Karen Khachanov.
Fritz is not a player the 16-year-old has come across too often over, rather the likes of Ben Shelton and Mackenzie McDonald are the ones he has bumped into most at the USTA’s training base in Orlando.
Needless to say, Secord one day hopes to follow in the footsteps of all three, although for now he has to be content with continuing his development at the Junior Championships, Wimbledon.
He today reached the third round at SW19 following a three-set victory over Great Britain’s Benjamin Gusic Wan, 6-3 4-6 6-4, to extend his best Junior Grand Slam run. He will face Bulgaria’s Ivan Ivanov next for a place in the quarter-finals.
If he needs any further inspiration from here on in then the aforementioned Fritz, Shelton and McDonald would not be bad people to turn to, although he will be able to look closer to home.
Secord’s mother is Linda Wild, who is a member of the Last 8 Club after reaching the quarter-finals at the US Open in 1996, while she also contested third-round matches at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
“My mum did play here,” Secord told itftennis.com. “Her coach is my grandpa, and he coaches me. He knows a lot about grass so he is a big help here at Wimbledon. I knew it was going to be an experience playing here.
“My mum made the semis of doubles [at Wimbledon in 1996] and is a member of the last 8 club [achieved at the US Open, also in 1996]. I haven’t seen too many videos of my mum playing, sadly.
“One of the only ones I have seen is a round of 16 match against Lindsay Davenport at the US Open. It’s weird when you see your mum on TV like that, it seems like a whole different person. I see her competitive face, but I just see my mum.
“Seeing her do what I want to achieve gives me hope and optimism that I can do it myself.”
For now, however, Secord has to plough his own furrow and make a name for himself in his own right. Wimbledon is the merely the next step on a journey which the teenager hopes will take him far in the game he loves.
“This is my first time playing here at Wimbledon and it’s really cool,” said Secord, who was a member of the USA team crowned 2024 Davis Cup Junior champions.
“It’s great, I love being here. It’s fun and I love playing on grass, it’s a surface I feel really suits my game.
“Being here is certainly living up to expectations. It would be cool to play on the bigger courts but hopefully that opportunity will come one day. But the atmosphere is really great and the level of support is unreal.
“I dreamed of playing here when I was growing up. The dream is obviously to play on Centre Court, but we’ll have to see about that. I always watched the likes of Fed, Rafa and Novak play here, and they inspired me.
“I’ve actually just seen Novak in the gym here and that was really cool. I didn’t say hi but it gives inspiration to what I might be able to achieve.”
A full list of results from the 2025 Junior Championships, Wimbledon can be found here