Paul Jubb has spent the last year and a half with a dream of playing at Wimbledon. After taking out the No.1 seed at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy, that dream is starting to become more realistic.

The 24-year-old had to battle both rising star Alex Michelsen, from the States, and the conditions, to come through 6-4 2-6 6-2.

After missing most of 2023 through injury, Jubb has dropped outside the world’s top 300, but reminded everyone why two years ago he took Nick Kyrgios to the brink in the first round of Wimbledon – the same year the Australian went all the way to the final.

That loss still sticks with him, and has left Jubb with unfinished business at SW19.

“To beat the top seed in any tournament is always a big confidence-booster,” said Jubb, who is on the LTA’s Pro Scholarship Programme presented by Lexus, the highest level of support for developing players aged 16-24, designed to help them crack the Top 100.

“It’s only the first round but for the start of the grass court season, it’s great to take that and start building. I feel like I’m in a good position physically and mentally so I want to keep insisting on that.

“For me, I have had Wimbledon written on my bathroom sink for the past year and a half. That has been one of my goals to put myself with a chance to maybe have an opportunity to play it, whether that is back on ranking or a potential wildcard.

“It’s a difficult one because I’ve played there twice and lost twice, in four sets and five sets. I’m a competitor and I want to win. So even though Wimbledon is such a prestigious tournament and I’ve played there, I want to win, so I’m not happy about the fact I haven’t won there yet. That’s a big aspiration for me and one of my lifelong goals is to be able to win a match at Wimbledon.

“I have gone back and watched little bits here and there but I’ve tried to move on from it. The missed return at 5-5 30-40 (in the fifth set against Kyrgios) still stays with me a little bit, but I’ve tried to take the learning experience and come back from it.”

Jubb had to overcome an added challenge against Michelsen, with rain interrupting play just as he was about to serve for victory in the third set.

And while that was far from ideal, Jubb believes his game is better placed to handle those obstacles than in previous seasons.

He added: “I was bricking it a little bit with the rain delay. I wasn’t relaxed but recently more than ever, I’ve been really happy with my serve. I’ve changed a couple of things and have been serving really well.

“I’ve had a bit more confidence to serve it out, more so than in the past where I might not have been able to get as many free points. Now it’s feeling more like a weapon, more dangerous so I had that in the back of my mind. I knew if I went out and hit some aggressive serves with the new balls, I’d be setting myself up well.”

For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website