Switching stand-up for the (tennis) court, Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Adam Riches makes his Summerhall debut with Jimmy, a solo performance about one of the greatest sporting comebacks in history. Despite being in the theatre section of the Fringe programme, Riches is still lobbing the jokes high, smashing punchlines down with full force. 

Through the 70s and 80s, Jimmy Connors was among the greatest tennis players on the planet. But by 1991, he’s getting crushed by the younger brother of his nemesis. Age has caught up with the now 39-year-old player, an age considered practically decrepit in tennis years. In a play which rattles the cage of ageing, we rewind the clock and find Connors in his prime. Riches showcases an enviable physicality to sell the sporting elements but opens the performance with sincerity as we see Connors grappling with his professional shelf-life. The physicality and pacing are mesmeric as Riches ricochets around the space, with full credit to the tech booth who synchronise each thwack and slice with pin-point sound effects, never missing one of Riches’ returns as they replicate live tennis matches.

Riches’ comedic delivery unsurprisingly shines and there isn’t so much audience interaction, as jostling, with adrenaline pushing Riches’ into breaking the stage boundary as the swaggering alpha-male mentality of the role leaks out in explosive moments. Jimmy has the scent of a victorious performance, though that might just be Riches’ sweat.

Adam Riches: Jimmy, Summerhall, until 26 August, 9.30pm.