Millman derails Fed express
One of the great wins in Australian tennis history became the dividend for John Millman’s 12-year battle through the back courts of the sport with his US Open ambush of Roger Federer. Two shoulder surgeries fully tested the gritty Queenslander’s resolve in continuing. He achieved his sporting dream with his four-set win over 20-time grand slam champion Federer in the US Open’s fourth round.
ONE of the great wins in Australian tennis history became the dividend for John Millman’s 12-year battle through the back-courts of the sport with his US Open ambush of Roger Federer. Two shoulder surgeries which fully tested the gritty Queenslander’s resolve in continuing his tennis career became an experience which has the passport stamps to an achieved sporting dream with his four-set win over 20time grand slam champion Federer in the US Open’s fourth round. Millman, 29, started on the lower-level Futures and then Challenger circuits in 2006, winning his first match on the main ATP Tour only in 2013. The Queenslander likes to tell the story of how during his Futures circuit days in Asia, a pizza delivery man once pulled up at his court and demanded payment from his opponent before the match could continue.
At the biggest capacity stadium in world tennis, 23,000seat Arthur Ashe Stadium, Millman beat the world’s alltime male winner of Grand Slam singles titles 6-3 5-7 6-7 6-7.
Millman sees his persistence down the years as nothing more than a desire to see how far his game could take him – yesterday he made it in New York.
The Brisbane right-hander earned $US1.4 million ($A1.94 million) in prizemoney up to the end of 2017, hardly putting him in the lap of luxury, through his hard labours and patient rehabilitation efforts.
Millman admits he considered a university degree and a financial services career after his second shoulder operation in 2015.
The self-described Aussie battler has won $US918,743 in prizemoney so far in this year, with a guaranteed US Open cheque of $US475,000 even if he loses his quarter-final tomorrow against Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic.
For shock value, Millman’s win is the biggest an upset by an Australian tennis player since Peter Doohan’s win over two-time defending champion Boris Becker in 1987 at Wimbledon, but Federer’s standing in the game makes this result a singular one in Australian tennis history.
The popular Queenslander will crash into the world’s top 40 for the first time, being projected to rise 19 places in the rankings to No.37 if he goes no further at the US Open.
Millman had shown to himself that he was capable of matching it with the best, taking Grand Slam winners Andy Murray and Federer and world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov to third sets before losing three times at his home city ATP tournament, the Brisbane International.
After the Dimitrov loss in January this year, which followed a career-best 2017 US Open third-round finish, Millman said he wanted a big win as he knew he had the capabilities to beat the top players.
He quipped that he never again wanted to play a Challenger “tournament in Romania”.