Australia tennis player Adam Walton has risen up the world rankings as he prepares to be a giant-killer at the Brisbane International

Adam Walton grew up playing tennis on courts in the tiny rural town of Home Hill in North Queensland – he now has giant-killing hopes after earning a Brisbane International wildcard.

Australian tennis has conjured up some incredible stories over the years and rising star Adam Walton’s tale is among the very best.

Hailing from the tiny rural town of Home Hill, roughly 100km south of Townsville, the 25 year old’s tennis introduction is one Hollywood makes movies about.

Tennis was one of many sports on Walton’s radar while growing up in north Queensland but if his older brother Jack was doing it, then so was he.

“Me and my brother played a lot of different sports growing up. He’s a year-and-a-half older than me – he chose tennis first and I just sort of followed, I was always the follower.”

But following Jack wasn’t exactly easy. As Walton recalls, simply “having a hit” would often prove challenging.

“The courts were actually inside a racetrack,” he grins.

“The cricket fields and tennis courts were inside a racetrack. You actually had to wait for the horses to go by before you could open the gates and drive through, then you would have to close the gates again.

“That’s how it all began.”

From humble beginnings hitting forehands on hard courts inside the Burdekin Race Club, Walton’s rise to No. 93 in the world is a fairytale he hopes is only just getting started.

At 14 he and Jack left home to board at the prestigious Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane, colloquially known as ‘Churchie’ – the same proving ground as John Millman.

Jack and Adam (R) Walton in their younger days.

From there he moved to the United States and became one of the top college tennis players in the country, headlining the University of Tennessee’s prestigious program.

At the end of 2022, when he left the college tennis circuit to turn professional, Walton was ranked 500-and-something in the world. The climb to the top was going to be steep, or so he thought.

Twelve months later he entered the top-200 and in May this year, Walton broke through professional tennis’ glass ceiling to become Australia’s latest top-100 player.

Fittingly, his entry came after winning a Challenger final in Taipei that also ensured he qualified for the Wimbledon main draw.

“This was a really successful year for me,” says Walton, Australia’s No. 9-ranked male player.

“I started the year ranked 180 and now I’ve finished at 90, so halving my ranking is obviously very good.

“To play all four Grand Slam main draws was very special and to crack the top-100 for the first time back in May was special.

“Everyone as a young kid dreams of doing that. To actually do it in a Challenger final, to make the Wimbledon main draw cut, was such a memorable match.”

Walton qualified for the Wimbledon main draw. Picture: Francois Nel/Getty Images

Unlike many of his fellow high-ranking Aussies, Walton was not earmarked for greatness.

He never represented Australia at Junior Davis Cup and unless you were living the cut and thrust of the junior tennis circuits in the 2010s, you almost certainly had never heard of the boy from Home Hill.

But Walton is eager to make a name for himself this summer. He has already qualified for the Australian Open main draw and this week was awarded a Brisbane International wildcard.

With two wildcards still to be handed out, he is one of four Australians – Nick Kyrgios, Alexei Popyrin and Jordan Thompson – in one of the most stacked ATP 250 draws in recent memory.

It also means next week he could share the court with 24-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic – in Walton’s words his tennis “idol”- who already had nine major titles to his name before Walton had left Home Hill.

Walton could play against Novak Djokovic in Brisbane. Picture: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

With a powerful baseline game and strong defensive nous Walton, like many over the past two decades, has modelled parts of himself on Djokovic.

But it is his humble tennis pedigree that could most work in his favour next month.

Having grown up on courts that pushed 40 degrees in January, Walton feels at home in the Brisbane heat. His rapid rise up the ranks was helped by hand-picking tournaments in oppressive conditions and he hopes the familiar confines of the Queensland Tennis Centre can give him a leg-up on his rivals.

“I pride myself on bringing a consistent level day-in and day-out,” he says.

“That is what helped me climb the rankings to be where I’m at. This year, hopefully I can start tweaking some things in my game to get to another level.”