Promising tennis teen Rinky Hijikata thought he'd been pranked when he got a text message purporting to be from his idol Lleyton Hewitt.
But an invitation to play in the Australian Open wildcard playoff at Melbourne Park this week was the real deal, and so is the 17-year-old.
Hijikata has dominated his age group for the past five years and last week was crowned national under 18 champion.
He is looking to follow in the footsteps of 19-year-old Alex de Minaur, who won the wildcard playoff last year and ended the year as Australia's top-ranked male.
"I got a text message to let me know I was in the playoff and I didn't know if it was real or not," Hijikata told AAP.
"It was a bit of a shock. I've always looked up to him (Hewitt) and watched him so much when I was a kid, so it was pretty surreal.
"And then he congratulated me after my match yesterday so that was really kind of him as well."
Hijikata had a first-round win over Victorian eighth seed Andrew Harris 6-7 (8-6) 6-2 7-5 6-7 (8-6) 6-3.
His four-and-a-half hour first competitive five-set match was also the longest of his career.
"It was tough on the body but I've pulled up alright and will have a lighter day today," Hijikata, who has Japanese parents but was born in Australia, said.
"The best guys in the world are able to back it up for seven matches, so I've been working really hard on my fitness and it's good to see that it's paying off."
Hijikata next faces third-seeded James Duckworth, who is on the comeback trail after a wretched injury run over the past two years.
World No. 31 de Minaur has proved an inspiration for Hijikata, particularly given their similar stature and never-say-die spirit.
Alexei Popyrin, 19, is also part of the next wave of tennis stars after winning his first ATP Challenger series tournament this year to be ranked 152.
"Alex and Alexei are guys who are making the breakthrough really quickly," Hijikata said.
"They both work incredibly hard and are really diligent, so it goes to show that if you put in the work it's not too far of a stretch."
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