'I'm helping Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon but I only earned £27 at recent tournament'

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'I'm helping Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon but I only earned £27 at recent tournament'
Adam Jones is a professional tennis player ranked 1,513th in the world - but he has a unique side job that sees him trade blows with some of the game's biggest names
Adam Jones has been helping Carlos Alcaraz practice ahead of the Wimbledon final
(Image: Instagram/adam_jonesyyy123 )
Carlos Alcaraz is on the cusp of securing his third consecutive Wimbledon title and etching his name amongs the gods of tennis, as he faces Jannik Sinner on Sunday.
Yet, Alcaraz's practice partner is a little known Englishman who has one of professional tennis' most fascinating jobs. Adam Jones, 27, has the distinctive job of emulating the playing styles of the top players' upcoming opponents, offering them a chance to fine-tune their game before stepping onto the court for their next match.
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Jones, who hails from Birkenhead, Merseyside and competes on the ITF Futures Tour— the entry level for professional tennis— has been seen exchanging shots with tennis greats such as Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, 2025 women's finalist Amanda Anisimova, and Emma Raducanu.
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Despite his world ranking sitting at 1,513th in singles and 619th in doubles, Jones relishes his behind-the-scenes role that keeps him away from the spotlight of venues like Centre Court.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Jones said: "It's a great gig and a fun way to earn some money. Whoever they're playing you try to copy their style.
"With Carlos, before he played Jan-Lennard Struff, who has a massive serve, I was standing a metre inside the baseline nuking serves."
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Jones as also hit with the likes of Novak Djokovic
(Image: Instagram/adam_jonesyyy123 )
Jones shared the arduous path that led him to backhand with the best, recounting times when he had to sleep in a small tent on a Portuguese golf course or stay in dorms because hotel costs were out of reach, given the meagre prize money he earned.
"The Futures tour is a rat race - the finances are absolutely brutal," Jones revealed. "If you lose in qualifying you get no money. A couple of weeks ago I won £27 ($37) after losing in singles quallies and then lost first round doubles - the minimum for a hotel was £110 ($150) a night.
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"You're losing money every single week. When people see you're a tennis player and see you're at Wimbledon, they think you have loads of money and live a luxurious life. You don't - it's the complete opposite."
Wimbledon typically employs around a dozen hitting partners, who are reportedly paid a daily rate of £120 plus perks like a food allowance and access to the club's stringers and physio services.
Adam Jones practiced with Emma Radcanu at this year's Wimbledon
(Image: Getty Images )
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Jones entered this role in 2022 and was so taken by the experience that he came back the next year. By 2024, he became the full-time practice partner for Croatia's Donna Vekic, even witnessing her charge to the semi-finals that very year.
Despite his proximity to the game's heavyweights, Jones confessed to often reminiscing about his days on the Futures Tour.
"It's funny," Jones said. "Because when I was travelling the world with a top star, staying in the nicest hotels and using the best facilities, I actually missed the Futures.
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"I wanted to go back to the jungle and the hellholes. You've got to remember where you came from. Remember the grind."
Residing in California with his girlfriend, Jones is gearing up to return stateside for a three-week stint in a Futures event in Illinois. However, he has unfinished business at the All England Club. "Next year I want to be back at Wimbledon - playing doubles. That's the goal," he said.