'Special & surreal' - Fearnley on facing Kyrgios

Jacob Fearnley says facing Nick Kyrgios at the Australian Open is "pretty special" and "a bit surreal".

The 23-year-old Scot will take part in his second Grand Slam main draw and takes on wildcard entry Kyrgios, 29, in the first round. The tournament gets under way on Saturday.

"It's pretty special," said Fearnley. "It's still a bit surreal for me to be honest, I can't quite believe that I'm here and playing in the main draw, especially playing Nick on a big court at the Australian Open.

"It's kind of a dream come true for me and something I always wanted to achieve but didn't think it would happen this fast. I'm really looking forward to the challenge and to getting going here in Australia."

Fearnley was knocked out of Wimbledon in the second round by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

"Just being around these players is quite cool," said the Scot. "Seeing all the best players in the world and playing the same tournament as them. It's a really cool, surreal experience for me and one I'm really enjoying and not taking for granted whatsoever.

"This is what I'm playing for, to keep improving my ranking and keep getting better and keep putting myself in positions like this. That's what it's all about.

"I saw [Carlos] Alcaraz today, he's always got a smile on his face and that's good to see. I saw the British guys, I saw [Jack Draper], I saw Cam [Norrie] today. I'm actually practising with him tomorrow so that'll be cool.

"It's cool just seeing those guys and being around those guys. It always puts a smile on my face and it's very enjoyable to be here."

It's not just the Australian Open Fearnley has on his horizon, with him being called up to Great Britain's Davis Cup team for the first time. Captained by Leon Smith, Great Britain face hosts Japan on 31 January and 1 February in Miki.

"That's incredible, that was something that's always been a huge goal of mine," explained Fearnley.

"I wasn't sure if I was going to get the call up so I'm super grateful to Leon and the LTA for giving me an opportunity to represent my country.

"Any athlete, any person, wants to represent their country so I'm super grateful.

"It's also pretty cool to go to Japan, I've never been to Japan so I'm excited to go there and compete with the guys and hopefully we can get a win for the UK."