The rise of Jack Pinington Jones: ‘Dating just isn’t part of his DNA’ | ATP Tour

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The rise of Jack Pinington Jones: ‘Having fun is not part of his DNA’

Exclusive insight from Pinington Jones and his college coach

February 12, 2026

Jack Pinington Jones, a former college tennis player at Texas Christian University, lost in the first round of qualifying for the Australian Open to Gilles Arnaud Bailly. The following evening, the Brits embarked on a 32-hour solo trip to Egypt for an ATP Challenger Tour event.

“I remember when I got to Egypt, I was like, ‘Oof, I’m going to be sore for the next few days’. I woke up at night, the flight was delayed, I didn’t know where I was,” Pinington Jones told ATPTour.com. “It was completely new and from my first experience in Australia [for a] The Grand Slam at the Challenger in Egypt where I didn’t know anyone, it was like, ‘You’re 200 in the world. Everything is a journey’.

Then No. 197 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Pinington Jones had different thoughts running through his mind. The Briton hasn’t been home since Thanksgiving, which means two and a half months straight on the road. Maybe that wasn’t going to be his breakout week.

Instead, Pinington Jones made the finals at Soma Bay and after qualifying for the Nexo Dallas Open and upsetting Flavio Cobolli in the main draw, he has reached No. 153 in the world.

“My body at the end of it wasn’t in the best shape, but I made it through. I made the best of a difficult situation by walking and everything like that,” Pinington Jones said. “My team was playing well, around me saying, ‘No, you have to compete every game, and keep going, keep going, you never know what can happen.

“I feel like that’s the mindset I’m trying to take week in, week out.”

It was a learning experience for Pinnington Jones, this time last year starting his final spring season at TCU, where he competed for three years and earned All-American singles honors twice. The former Junior World No. 6, the Briton followed in the footsteps of Top-100 players Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley, who also played for the Horned Frogs.

“It was a big change. Obviously being away from home for so long for the first time, it was a big shock,” Pinington Jones said. “Having other British players in the team, like Jake Fearnley, Lui Maxted – who I’ve known since I was growing up – was a big help. And the coaches and the culture at TCU was great. I felt really welcome and just settled in after the first few weeks.”

Pinington Jones competed under the leadership of head coach David Roditi, who described his former player as a “big, big guy” on their team.

“He’s brought a lot of that competitive spirit and that drive to make everybody push themselves or compete more or every day in practice,” Roditi said. “I think that helped our team a ton. That was just Jack. Everybody knew that at the end of the day, winning was the main goal there. That’s what his personality was on the team.”

Pinnington Jones is the first to admit that he also had fun off the court. “He was trying to be a hero: win on the field, win at night. I think he finally learned that he can’t do both,” said Roditi.

“He’s just a big guy, and he’s outgoing, and he’s very playful. He likes to play, so he gets bored easily, and maybe staying in his dorm or staying in his house and having fun is not part of his DNA.”

Since deciding to forgo his senior season at TCU, Pinington Jones has entered a new world. Instead of traveling with his team to two matches or different tournaments, he is climbing the ladder of the ATP Tour.

“I did the preseason in Florida, I did Thanksgiving in Texas, then I went to Hawaii, Australia, Doha, Egypt, London. [and now] Dallas. I’ve made a loop,” said Pinnington Jones. “I’ve got a great team around me, I’m very grateful to have the support from the LTA and I lean on them to help guide me on how to handle the pressures, the travel, things that are completely new and I lean on them when I can. That is a very big thing.

“I would say [it has been about] travel, jet lag, and I’m just trying to control what I can control: going out, competing, practicing everything I can, and just trying to improve.”

Over the past year, Pinnington Jones has climbed over 200 places in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Due to his success in college, he was a multiple qualifier for the Next Gen Accelerator, which allows qualifiers to earn direct entry into ATP Challenger Tour events.

“It’s great. You just look at the guys, when I was in college that passed: Jake Fearnley, Eliot Spizzirri, Ethan Quinn, just to name a few. Diallo and Shelton were before me, but all those guys. It just gives them a leg up,” Pinnington Jones said. “Their quality is there, but they may not be ranked. If they play at the top of the list of a major college team, the quality is very high.

“I remember the whole season thinking, ‘I’ve got to keep playing well, I’ve got to make sure I win these wild cards’, because I know it’s a big step to start your professional career.”

Before arriving in Dallas, Pinington Jones spent a week at TCU with his former coaches and teammates, some of whom supported him at the ATP 500 event.

“I spent three years at TCU. Fort Worth, Texas feels like a second home in a way. There are a lot of great people I’ve met on my college journey here and many of them have come out to support,” said Pinnington Jones. “It feels like a home tournament and especially the run I’m having, it’s really special.”