Australian Open swansong for retiring ace, Groth
SAM Groth will retire after January’s Australian Open.
An Olympian, Australian Davis Cup mainstay and John Newcombe medallist, Groth, 30, will bow out after the event, ending a 13- year career.
Citing wilting motivation, he said he had increasingly struggled “with the whole life on the tour thing”.
“It’s been something I’ve been thinking about since Wimbledon,” Groth said.
“I went to Newport ( US), a tournament I’ve done really well at in the past. I qualified, won a round and I was playing John Isner on centre court and part of me just really didn’t want to be there. My issue has never been competing.
“Before I got to 53 in the world, my issue was doing enough work and all those sorts of things. That became the easy part at the end.
“But getting out and competing, and being away from home became tough.”
Groth has been plagued with injury since reaching that career- high No. 53 in 2015.
The right- hander pipped triple winner Sam Stosur for the 2015 Newcombe Medal.
“Now it’s over, I can reflect on that properly – 2015 was a pretty amazing year. We made semis of Davis Cup; that unbelievable quarter- final in Darwin ( against Kazakhstan) was one of my greatest Groth said.
“I’m very happy and content to look back on that, and makes it easier to walk away.”
But not before one final hurrah.
“I’m excited because it’s going to be the closing of this book and the start of the new chapter,” Groth said. feelings,’’