Dripping in sweat amid the sweltering and humid conditions of New York, a subdued celebration from Australia’s John Millman was met with a handshake at the net accompanied by 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer. You would have thought that the man from Brisbane lost the battle, but instead, he had just won the biggest match of his career at the US Open fourth round in four sets against one of the greatest of all time - summing up the taxing conditions and enormous weight of the occasion. The result sent shockwaves across the tennis world - dubbed one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history. But actually, it was in the making.
Nearly four years prior at the Brisbane International, Millman had the Swiss maestro on the ropes - leading 6-4, 3-1 and 40-15 before letting it slip away despite Federer admitting he felt tired as the match wore on. With experience comes learning, and the Aussie would not allow lightning to strike twice. "I think you're always going to have people ask questions when an upset is caused and there's many Federer fans out there, so at times they might look to diminish the result, but that's just how it is," Millman told The First Serve.
"The US Open is one of those places where I always felt comfortable with the humid conditions as it's not too dissimilar to Brisbane in the summer. Flushing Meadows is built on swamp land, so when the climate aligns it is extremely conducive to those conditions.
"I remember it was exactly that when I beat Roger. Going into the tournament I wasn't playing well as I was carrying a back problem after a good European swing. I was lacking a bit of confidence, but it's amazing how things can turn around once you get through a couple of matches.
"By the time I played Roger, I was in tune with the conditions and felt positive about my game. I was down a set and 5-3 and thought he was playing lights-out tennis, feeling the court well. I managed to extend it as I found another gear to grab the second set and from there, it was an arm wrestle.
"I did probably play the conditions better than Roger towards the end, but that's sport. It's easy to come up with reasons why an upset occurs, but justifiably I thought I was the better player without being disrespectful because I love Roger and he's a legend of the sport.
"I felt relief after I won because I had finally crossed the finish line to knock off one of the top players. It's one thing to put yourself in a position to win, but it's entirely different to complete the job because the elite never makes it easy."
Well-known for producing an electric atmosphere and a colourful experience, New York, the city that never sleeps, is preparing to host the 144th edition of the year's final Grand Slam.
Millman has been in the thick of it throughout his career, qualifying for eight consecutive US Open main draw appearances between 2015 and 2022.
"New York is always buzzing and an amazing destination to play tennis," the two-time Olympian said. "There's not one city like it because it's super unique.
"The fans are at times a hit-and-miss. Not necessarily rowdy, but sometimes they're not engaged, and a lot of them want to get action on their social media. Even in my match against Roger when I was close to going two sets down, it was constant chatter until late in the third set when they started to realise that there was a real contest brewing."
Australia’s hopes will once again rest on the shoulders of Alex de Minaur, albeit not having played a competitive match in 48 days.
The 25-year-old suffered a freak hip injury on match point against Arthur Fils at Wimbledon - enough pain to force him to withdraw from his quarter-final against Novak Djokovic and prevent an Olympic singles debut in the same month.
His absence has opened the door to a punishing draw - projected to face seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz in the fourth round before a potential date with Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals awaits.
Fighting back an eagerness to rush back onto the court, de Minaur's resilience and maturity have been a beacon of light in an otherwise dour past few weeks.
"That's been the battle that Alex has had to conquer," Millman admitted. "He reached a career-high ranking earlier in the year and had been playing great tennis.
"I know he desperately wanted to play singles at the Olympics, but his body wasn't quite right. The reality is at this level, even though Alex is a top player, you need to be mentally and physically healthy because the margins are paper-thin. We're talking one or two percenters.
"Alex's focus now is not to make up the numbers at Grand Slams. Instead, he has a legitimate chance to go deep and win a major in my opinion, and I'm sure he believes that too.
"He understands that he has his whole career ahead of him and his movement is extremely important, so that type of injury in the hip area can have a detrimental effect on his strengths to shrink the court and chase every ball.
"It would be tempting to rush back because he's been in top form, and it would be great to see a close mate of mine get the rewards for all the hard work. He turns up every week and is a real credit to Australian tennis with his positive attitude and commitment."
Since former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios' injury troubles have sidelined him for over 12 months, Australia has desperately cried out for a consistent number two in the men's game to follow de Minaur's trajectory.
Less than two weeks ago, Alexei Popyrin claimed the Montreal Masters 1000 crown - the biggest title won by an Australian since Lleyton Hewitt's success at Indian Wells 21 years ago. It was a surprising yet deserved achievement by Popyrin, propelling himself to a career-high No.23.
According to Millman, the 25-year-old is well-placed to tackle the next step while crediting an influential presence behind the scenes.
"Alexei is the obvious name that comes to mind after winning his first Masters tournament," he said. "We all know that he has a massive game, big serve, looks to find his forehand and moves well for a big guy. At this level, it's about putting those performances together consistently and I think he will take a lot of confidence to kick on and challenge the top players.
"Jordan Thompson's year has been incredible. He was a little underdone come Cincinnati with a niggling injury, but he's known to shake those injuries off, so watch this space.
"A person who deserves a shoutout is Marinko Matosevic who had a great singles career and is now coaching Jordan and Christopher O'Connell. You can't underestimate the impact that Marinko has had on those two players, and I wouldn't be surprised if he receives the Coach of the Year accolade at the Newcombe Awards."
A remarkable effort in qualifying has ensured a total of 20 Australians will take part in the US Open singles main draw, including five out of eight women who bravely withstood three qualifying matches to advance.
Aussie women's tennis finds itself in a peculiar situation, with a substantial disparity between the experienced guard of Ajla Tomljanović and Daria Saville and the new generation of up-and-coming talent, with not as much depth in between to challenge in the second week of majors and crack into the top 100.
Millman suggested a theory as to why there has been a widening gap, although the 35-year-old remains optimistic about the foreseeable future.
"I'm really excited to see Sam Stosur's impact on Australian women's tennis," he said. "A huge part of the Aussie men's success in the past has been the presence of Tony Roche and Llleyton Hewitt, so it's not to diminish anyone else, but I have a lot of respect for Sam and I know the passion she has for the game. She's a fantastic leader and I'm hopeful she can instil a positive impact.
"This is my opinion and I could be wrong... I think it's tougher for our women. Tennis is a tough sport and we're spending so much time away from our support networks for most of the year, and not to say both men and women can't do that, but I do think it's slightly easier for the men to go away and deal with it.
"I battled through tough times as did many players, so I would like to see more access to tournaments closer to home because we know how expensive it is and mental health plays a big role in performance which can be beneficial for both men and women. For the women, it could be the difference maker. An example is our own champion Ash Barty who has spoken about the demanding nature of playing away from home for most of the year.
"Taylah Preston has a bright future ahead in particular. I like the way she goes about her business. I managed to watch her matches over the Australian summer and I was super impressed when she went toe-to-toe with Caroline Garcia in Adelaide, a player who was top 15 in the world at the time. There was that added pressure playing at home and she handled the occasion superbly.
"A few bright sparks are emerging in Australian women's tennis such as Emerson Jones who is crushing it in the juniors, but we need to get more numbers consistently who can compete in major events which starts from player development."
There have been five different winners in the past five years at the US Open male and female competitions, demonstrating how open the field is for new stars to shine.
Who does Millman tip to go all the way?
"Don't be shocked to see Novak Djokovic come back with a renewed passion because I think that Olympic gold medal weighed heavily on him as you could tell it meant the world. I haven't seen him play as aggressively as he did in that final since the [2023] Australian Open when he was carrying that injury [three-centimetre hamstring tear],” Millman explained.
"Jannik Sinner is a massive threat, but I have heard that the courts are playing slower compared to Cincinnati which favours Carlos Alcaraz and he can potentially bounce back. Carlos has been the one to beat this year and despite the rankings, I feel he is playing the best tennis with a better head-to-head over Sinner recently.
"On the women's side, it's almost impossible to pick. If I were a betting man I would've put my house on Iga Swiatek to win gold in Paris where she has tasted so much success, but I would've lost the house. It's that wide open which makes it entertaining for the neutrals.
"It would be fantastic to see Coco Gauff go back-to-back coming off being the flag bearer for America, or one of the American hopefuls because that will raise the profile in a huge market like the States."
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) have confirmed that this year's total prize money at the US Open will increase by 15.3 per cent from $AU 95 million to $AU 110 million - a record-breaking sum at Grand Slam level.
A few days later, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced a significant investment into the ITF tour, with a record total of $AU 35.3 million on offer starting from 2025 to secure a 20 per cent increase compared to this year.
Djokovic, co-founder of the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), said during his US Open pre-tournament press conference that "the ethos of PTPA is representing 100 per cent the players' rights and making sure that every possible corner is covered to not only endure on the tour but [make a living] out of this sport... that needs to be improved."
Although change needs to start from somewhere to close the gap, good luck to those ranked lower than 250 and attempting to earn a decent living - a can of worms that Millman feels has many headaches to solve.
"It's still far too small and it's one of the biggest problems in tennis in that not enough players make money from it," said the former US Open quarter-finalist.
"There's a lot of good players in what is a global sport played everywhere, but it's tough in those low-level events where it's super expensive to play, which is why I'm a fan of creating opportunity closer to home where the expenses can be reduced.
"I've always been a strong advocate for it and we have to find ways to generate income whether that's continuing to bump up Grand Slam prize money or finding a way to disperse it more.
"Whether you like him or loathe him, one of the big things with Djokovic is that he's tried to ensure players receive more money which is one of the main reasons he started the PTPA.
"I'm sure there's work being done in the background to try and increase the prize pool, but if you don't get people out there watching Challengers and ITF events, it becomes less likely to see any significant change which would hinder the entire tennis ecosystem if the trend continues."
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