Aussie tennis fan favourite John Millman has made the sad announcement that persistent injuries have forced him to call time on his career. The 34-year-old revealed on Thursday night that he was retiring from the sport after the 2024 Australian Open, with his 10th campaign at Melbourne Park set to be his last.
Millman has battled a number of serious injuries over the years and made the brutal revelation that “unfortunately age has caught up to me”. The Queenslander reached a career-high No.33 in the world in October 2018, with his lone ATP singles title coming in Kazakhstan in 2020. Millman also featured in five Davis Cup ties for Australia while also wearing the green and gold at two Olympic Games.
“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.”
The highlight of Millman’s career was undoubtedly his 2018 US Open win over Roger Federer in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows. The gutsy Aussie defied oppressively hot and humid conditions and his considerable underdog status to topple the Swiss great in four pulsating sets.
The 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 7-6 win over the Swiss maestro saw Millman become the first Aussie since Pat Rafter at the 1999 French Open to defeat Federer. The epic victory cemented the Queenslander’s place in Aussie tennis folklore.
Unfortunately, the Aussie’s run at that US Open came to an end in the quarter-finals against Novak Djokovic, with the Serb eventually going on to claim the title. Millman also went agonisingly close to repeating his epic victory over Federer at the 2020 Australian Open after taking the 20-time grand slam champion to a fifth set decider.