'The Last Time' With Jared Donaldson

I missed a flight?

I was 12 years old and I was on my way to Las Vegas from San Francisco, playing junior tournaments. We were right next to the gate we were supposed to be at and were sitting there for two hours. After that someone said, “Oh my God, we have a flight to catch”. So we had to get the next one an hour later.

I lost something important?

The most important time, was when I was 12 years old. After winning a semi-final, I put my phone down on the side of a court to play mini tennis with other players. I left it and forgot my phone. It was when the iPhone had just come out and my Dad had just got me one. I remember he was so upset and he was giving me a lecture.

I paid money to rent a tennis court or buy tennis balls?

Probably one of the last times I went to a Challenger, I think in Savannah. There were using different balls than the previous tournament so we had to go out and buy a case.

Being famous or well-known helped me?

Flying back from my first Futures win in Bodrum in Turkey. The mayor came out to watch us and lent us his driver to get us to the airport after we had won, because we had a flight to catch to Istanbul. At the airport they gave me first-class tickets for free on the flight from Bodrum to Istanbul.

I strung a tennis racquet?

Never because I’ve never tried, never attempted to learn.

I cooked for myself or others?

When I was at home this past June, my girlfriend and I had a cook-off making pasta bolognaise from scratch, making your own tomato sauce. This was the first time I’d ever cooked and it took five hours.

I met a childhood idol?

I love baseball, my idol is Barry Bonds. I got my ear pierced because of him. We were at a resort in the Bahamas and he was there with his family. I walked up to him as a four year old and I said, ‘How did it feel to hit all those home runs?’ He said that it felt ‘pretty good’.

I shared a hotel room with another player?

Probably on junior Davis Cup duty in Barcelona, when I shared with Stefan Kozlov and Noah Rubin. So there was a lot of talent in that room.

I asked someone famous for an autograph or a selfie?

When I worked with Andre Agassi in Las Vegas, I got a photograph. Before that it was with Roger Federer, when I was playing with him in Dubai.