AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2023

John Millman

Press Conference

J. MILLMAN/M. Huesler

6-7, 7-5, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3

JOHN MILLMAN: How are we (smiling)? Awesome, let's go.

THE MODERATOR: Can you describe what it's like to be on a full Show Court 3 and doing it in five sets?

JOHN MILLMAN: Yeah, awesome. Look, I had some great memories from playing out on Show Court 3. Still to this day, one of my most memorable moments there was when I played Gilles Muller out there. I think I won 5 in the fifth there. That really gave me the confidence that I kind of belonged at this level.

So to fast forward a few years and to have another really big match out there, was pretty special. The crowd on Show Court 3 were incredible. Obviously it's quite an intimate atmosphere. In those really physical matches that I think we played for over four hours, you can't underestimate just how big of an influence that crowd and the energy they give you kind of tow you over the finish line.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It's your first five-set win in seven years.

JOHN MILLMAN: Okay.

Q. And your second longest match of your career.

JOHN MILLMAN: Okay.

Q. How much confidence does that give you to just keep pushing?

JOHN MILLMAN: No, that's confidence now that you've told me I haven't won one for a while (smiling).

Look, it's awesome. They're the ones you remember. It's the ones where you leave absolutely everything out there. I'm pretty cooked now. I'm a little exhausted at the moment.

But they're really the ones you remember. I had a lot of people come down from Brisbane to come and watch me. You can see them throughout the crowd. They're special. Long after I stop playing tennis, they'll be the ones that kind of stick with me.

I thought my opponent today was really good. He's not a household name just yet. Don't take anything away from that. For me, it's as memorable as any match that I've played. It was a lot of fun out there. It does give you confidence.

I think I kind of had a bit of confidence after playing four matches in a row in Adelaide. That was a really good blow-out. Coming here I felt like the body's been probably as good as it has been in probably the last 12 months.

So I was confident in the body, but after playing four-plus hours, five-set match like that, you definitely get even more confidence in the body. That moving forward is a really big plus for me.

Q. In terms of the actual match play itself, first three sets were an arm wrestle. What fundamentally changed to go from an arm wrestle to a game you ended up controlling pretty well?

JOHN MILLMAN: I think probably a couple of things. I think first of all, you know, as the match goes on, it's not as easy to win those free points. You haven't got as much juice in the legs. The arm might not be swinging quite as freely. Maybe his serve speeds probably just dropped off a slight bit.

I think the big factor is also as that sun kind of came down, as that court kind of cools down, the conditions change. They become a lot slower. You have to really grind to win your points. You don't get as many free points on serve. All of a sudden it becomes probably even more of a physical battle.

Even though the scoreline in the last two sets probably doesn't depict it, the rallies were probably a little bit more physical, which probably tilts the tie in my favor.

They're the type of points I have to play to be dominating them. He's obviously a guy that relies on his serve and wants to probably finish the point a little bit quicker.

I think the conditions as it cooled down probably played into my hands a little bit more.

Q. Prospect of Daniil Medvedev in the next round. I know it's not happened yet. But your thoughts?

JOHN MILLMAN: They're the matches you want to play. He's one of the few guys I've actually never played before. I love watching him play. It's a daunting prospect because you know when you play against him, you have to work for every point. He gives you no points. He covers the court extremely well. He extends the rallies. That's how I'm winning my rallies (smiling).

It's going to be a really tough battle. But I've had a couple of big matches before against some of these big players. Generally speaking, I like to test myself against them.

Yeah, if he survives, there's been a few upsets already so far this Australian Open, even on day one, so I'll be watching the match. If he gets through, then I look forward to the challenge.

Q. I was wondering if you could share some thoughts on Sam Stosur's retirement, what she has meant to Australian tennis. Any special memories?

JOHN MILLMAN: Yeah, Sam, first of all, a massive congratulations to her. What an outstanding career she's had. The thing that comes to my mind when I think of Sam, obviously the US Open win, but is longevity. When she was probably coming to the end of her singles career, she really carved out a successful doubles career, which shows her versatility and her skill set.

Sam heralds from Queensland. For me, that's pretty special. Us Queenslanders, we kind of stick together. Growing up as a kid, it was Pat Rafter, then along came Sam Stosur after that. It was the next big Queenslander to fly the flag.

Really special person. I can't imagine that Sam's not going to stay involved in tennis. I think she loves it too much. I am hoping that she stays involved specifically in Australian tennis.

I think her footprint will be just as big with Australian tennis as it was during her playing career with what she does outside of her playing career. I think she's got a lot to give. Would be silly not to have her in a big capacity helping out the next generation, if she wants to.

Q. The atmosphere was brilliant today. When you're going through the ups and downs of the tour through the year, do you put yourself in the mindset you use that as motivation wanting to get back to the Australian summer?

JOHN MILLMAN: For sure. It's a special place to come play tennis. I think we really missed it when COVID was around. I missed actually coming back home to Australia. I love the Australia people. I love my country. But I love the people that make up the country.

The Australian Open is the one place where I get to showcase that in front of the love of the crowd.

So for sure, it's something that motivates me. And like I said, long after I finish playing tennis, they're the ones that I'm going to remember, those Show Court 3 matches where the crowd is absolutely going bonkers to get me over the finish line.

It's special. I'm also a player that likes to use the energy of the crowd. I see people throughout the crowd. Some people I know. Some people I don't. If they're giving me energy, I want to give them a bit of energy back.

Makes it really special. I've definitely taken a few snapshots in my mind that I'll hold for a long time.

Q. You mentioned the injuries that you suffered last season. How is the body at the moment? What were the problems you had?

JOHN MILLMAN: Look, probably the body's the best it's been in 12 months. There's a couple of factors for that. A massive one is Dirk Spits coming back and working with Tennis Australia. When I had my shoulder surgery, he did a lot of my rehab, strength and conditioning coach, physiologist. He's an amazing asset to have at Tennis Australia.

We lost him to the Brisbane Lions for a little bit. He's come back. I got to do a pre-season with him. I can't stress how important he's been to getting me in as good of shape as I have been for a long time.

Last year was challenging. I think probably started off probably a bit of mental problems, fatigue to begin with. I had seven-day off-season. I was 10 days between getting to Brisbane and playing my first round in Adelaide after an 11-month trip living in bubbles because of COVID.

I think probably I had a fair bit of burnout. I remember it was funny because I remember walking out on court in Adelaide with Albert Ramos-Vinolas on center court. I played a center court match the year before. Just a completely different mindset. I actually stood there and reflected for a second before I went out. Going out on court with Albert Ramos-Vinolas, I was actually excited to play. 12 months before I remember I was, yeah, a space cadet, on a different planet.

Probably a bit of burnout to begin with. I started getting things rolling with Delray Beach, Acapulco. I copped a ball in the eye, which knocked me out for a while. I couldn't see out of my eye for nine days. I was on some anti-inflams and stuff. That was unfortunate.

Then back problems around French Open. Then getting a bit of momentum again in the American swing. I got COVID leading into the US Open. I was in isolation in Mexico, not playing. Just very under-done. Then back problems at the end of the year.

For me, obviously I need to play lots of tennis. That's how the rankings work. You fall out pretty quickly if you're not on the court. I wasn't really on the court. When I was on the court, I wasn't playing at 100%.

Really happy, though, the body is in good order. I think anyone who watched me in Adelaide and me in this one would see physically that I'm back and playing all right tennis.