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Tag: tennis

  • Federer-slayer Millman to quit after Australian summer

    John Millman, the only Australian this century to conquer the great Roger Federer at a grand slam, has announced he will retire from tennis after this summer.

    Former grand-slam quarter-finalist, fan favourite and Roger Federer slayer John Millman has ruefully called an imminent end to his professional tennis career.

    The 34-year-old revealed on Thursday night he was walking away after a 10th and final Australian Open campaign in January, saying “unfortunately age has caught up to me”.

    “Just the three (shoulder) surgeries. Chronic back injury was the thing that did me in, though,” Millman told AAP, after posting on social media: “All good things come to an end.

    “After the upcoming Australian Summer, I’ll be retiring from professional tennis.

    “I’m incredibly grateful for all the support I’ve had throughout my career. It’s been a thrilling ride living out a dream I had as a kid.”

    Millman overcame all manner of injuries to forge a special place in the Australian tennis history books with a career-defining fourth-round victory over Roger Federer at the 2018 US Open in New York.

    He was the first Australian to topple the Swiss great at a grand slam since Pat Rafter at the 1999 French Open, when Federer was still a teenager.

    Millman went tantalisingly close to repeating the feat at the 2020 Australian Open, losing in five sets after leading Federer 8-4 in the deciding super-tiebreaker.

    He reached a career-high No.33 in the world in October 2018, won his lone ATP singles title in Kazakhstan in 2020 and played five Davis Cup ties for Australia while also wearing the green and gold at two Olympic Games.

    In Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Millman became the first player in Olympic history to win a singles match 6-0 6-0, against Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis.

    In addition to his stirring run at Flushing Meadows five years ago, where it took Novak Djokovic to stop him, Millman twice made the third round at Melbourne Park and Wimbledon.

    But he says his battered body has “really broken down”.

    “It’s been a fantastic career, but I’m ready to try something else,” Brisbane-born Millman told Nine News Queensland.

    “The way I play, I have to be up there playing 11 months a year; and I’m just no longer able to do so.

    “I can still play at a high level, I feel, but not day-in, day-out. The body is not letting me.

    “All those years of being physical on the court have caught up with me.”

    Millman will feature in Australia’s United Cup side for the mixed teams’ event kick-starting the summer of tennis in Perth and Sydney from December 29.

    While the world No.436 won’t make direct entry to the Australian Open, it’s almost certain the popular grinder will receive a wildcard into his home slam for one last time.

  • Demon capable of ending Australian Open drought: Hewitt

    Australian tennis great Lleyton Hewitt believes Alex de Minaur is capable of beating anyone on his day and can make a deep run in January’s Australian Open.

    Alex de Minaur has the game to break into world’s top 10 and have a serious crack at ending the host nation’s Australian Open men’s title drought, Lleyton Hewitt says.

    Ash Barty broke a 44-year drought when she claimed the women’s crown in 2022, but no Australian man has won a home major since Mark Edmondson in 1976.

    Hewitt went close in 2005 when he lost the final to Russia’s Marat Safin, while Pat Cash was runner-up in consecutive years in 1987-88.

    De Minaur has reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park in each of the last two years and has since risen to a career-best world ranking of No.11.

    To end the Open drought, de Minaur would have to put a stop to 10-time champion Novak Djokovic’s dominance.

    “He’s certainly got a chance,” Davis Cup captain Hewitt told reporters at the Australian Open 2024 launch on Wednesday.

    “He can do some pretty special things and I have full confidence every time he goes out there for me in Davis Cup that he can beat anyone.

    “He’s put himself in a position seeding-wise where he’s going to give himself a shot.

    “You can never take any of those first couple of rounds easily but he’ll be ready for those.

    “If he can get through and not cause too much damage to his body physically then I think he can push deep.”

    Australian fans responded to Hewitt’s trademark grit throughout his decorated career and the two-time grand slam champion sees similar qualities in de Minaur.

    “I know deep down that he would love nothing more than to make a really big run here (in Melbourne) and get the crowd behind him,” Hewitt said.

    “They’ll feed off his determination and his never-say-die attitude every time he goes out there.”

    De Minaur’s impressive season on the ATP Tour includes winning a seventh career title at Acapulco and three other finals appearances.

    The 24-year-old is now within sight of becoming the first Australian since Hewitt to crack the world’s top 10.

    He is also a chance to make his first appearance at the prestigious ATP Tour finals, to be held in Turin in November.

    “He’s getting there. I always knew that he was going to be a top-10 player, I had full belief in that,” Hewitt said.

    “He’s hopefully going to get his opportunity over the next few months to crack into the top 10.”