Rising American star Jenson Brooksby, 20, hasn’t played on clay for two years but still he managed to make it all the way at the Tallahassee Challenger last week. On Sunday, now world No. 166 Brooksby beat fellow compatriot Bjorn Fratangelo 6-3 4-6 6-3 in the Tallahassee Challenger final.

“The culture and mindset we train with at home involves not worrying about different conditions. I don’t concern myself with changing my game for hard or clay. I play the same style and just want to stay fresh out there from one week to the next.

I keep practising as I’ve been doing and stay focused on what I can control,” Brooksby told the ATP Challenger Tour website.

Brooksby delivered in key moments

“In the second set, I mentally got weaker and more tired.

But in the third set, I focused on the right things. If I’m going to say something to myself, make it the right thing to do. Just to give it my all mentally. He kept creating break chances, but I think it’s a credit to how mentally tough I was today.

No matter how many chances he got, I kept telling myself to stick to the strategy,” Brooksby added. Brooksby fought hard to win Tallahassee as four of his five wins at the tournament came in four sets. “It all started with my coach Joseph back home,” Brooksby said, when asked from there does his competitive side come from.

“He engrained that mindset in me. But I feel like I’ve always had that in myself. It’s a great combination. It’s all about never giving up in any point. Even if you’re down two breaks and the set is almost over, you still want to fight.

If you feel like you have the right shots and the right plan, there’s still another set to go. And even if you lose the match, there’s always another match to play the next week. It’s important to keep building that confidence and becoming a better player. I focus on those things in those moments and try to not let my emotions get in the way.