John Millman opens up on painful Davis Cup defeat and his goals for 2020

John Millman loves playing for his country, which was why losing his Davis Cup quarter-final match hurt so much. But he’s ready to go should he get the call-up for Australia in the ATP Cup.

John Millman at an Australia practice session ahead of the ATP Cup. Picture: AAP

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There is more to life than tennis for the popular John Millman but the proud Queenslander still has some goals he wants to achieve on court in 2020 as he heads into twilight of his career.

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Australia’s ATP Cup campaign is starting in your home city of Brisbane but even as the nation’s No.3 singles player, you are unlikely to play any matches. How will you use the week?

I see it as an opportunity to have an extra week of practice. If I play, if one of the boys wakes up feeling not too well, I’ll got out there and use it as that, an opportunity to at least get one match in those conditions. If I don’t, physically and the amount of balls I’ve hit, I’ll be in the best possible condition going into Auckland, which is where I’m playing next.

Why did you choose Auckland over the Adelaide International?

I’ve heard really good things about the Auckland tournament. Obviously there’s a new tournament in Adelaide on at the same time, but I felt I would have more opportunity in Auckland to go for a bit of a run there.

John Millman (third from left) with Team Australia ahead of the ATP Cup. Picture: AAP

Opinion is divided on whether the ATP and Davis Cup should merge to form a true World Cup of tennis. Where do you stand on that?

I don’t mind just one event. It’s really about finding the best week for that to happen if it was to happen. It’s also about two separate entities, the ATP and the ITF, coming together and doing what’s best for the players. Right now they are two separate events, and team competition is something that’s pretty fun, so hopefully we can move on and make something out of the situation.

After coming in as a late replacement for the injured Nick Kyrgios, you lost your 2019 Davis Cup quarter-final match in November to Canada’s Vasek Pospisil and blamed yourself for Australia’s exit. How do you feel about it now?

I’m good now. It was good that I went on a week’s holiday. It was tough. I tried to do everything possible to be prepared, and I can’t say enough about the team and about how they helped me to be in the best possible space. I want to play for my country. It’s something that I live for. It’s really special but I’m not going to lie, it was tricky coming in late. I left it all out there but it did hurt a lot. It hurts a little bit more when you’re representing your country. We were in the quarter-finals and I thought we could have gone on a great run, and I felt a great responsibility. It was one of the matches that has hurt me the most. It’s good though to have those emotions. It means you’re passionate and care about what you do and care about playing for your mates and your country.

John Millman says losing in the Davis Cup quarter-final last year was hard to take. Picture: Getty Images

You have said before the while you love tennis, it isn’t everything for you.

Yes, tennis isn’t the absolute be all and end all for me. Tennis is just a game, and I think it’s important to keep things in perspective. From time to time, you lose track of that. It becomes bigger and bigger in your head the higher up you get, and you lose track why you started playing to begin with, and that’s because you love the game.

Have you thought about what you will do post-tennis?

I’ll have to think about it soon because I’m 31 this year, not getting any younger and feeling my body and the aches more and more. I’m not totally sure of the direction I’ll go. I’d like to stay involved in tennis to some extent, and in sport to some extent, but I’m not sure what doors will open when I finish playing. I do have many interests outside of tennis. I love playing a bit of golf, I love watching Liverpool play, I like my Brisbane Lions – they had a great season. Fages (coach Chris Fagan) is unbelievable. I like my NFL, play a bit of fantasy football, but there are also other interests. I like real estate and keep tabs on that. I don’t know exactly what I’ll do when I finish playing tennis, but I’m confident I’ll find my feet.

John Millman is aiming for a career-high ranking in 2020. Picture: AAP

Tennis great Margaret Court is again making headlines, this time for her views of transgender people and their alleged threat to women’s sport. Should we still be celebrating her tennis achievements?

We’re commemorating the 50th anniversary of her Grand Slam at the Australian Open soon and there’s debate about whether we she should be celebrated. I don’t agree with a lot of the things Margaret Court says, but the beauty of living in Australia is that we live in a democratic country, and we do have freedom of speech. I’ve been to countries where that doesn’t exist. It is still important that we celebrate what she did on court even if what she’s saying off court are things a lot of us don’t agree with. She’s still one of our greatest ever players, and one of greatest women players in tennis history. You can’t just wipe that from history because she’s voicing an opinion.

What are your aims for this year?

I’m top 50 in the world at the moment so I was really happy with the way I finished off 2019. I’d love to get that down a little bit. My career high was 33. If I could get higher than that, that would be unbelievable. There are the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. That’s really competitive to make that team. We’ve got some great players in Australia right now and you have to be one of the best players in the world to go to that also. Post Rio Olympics, as soon as I experienced that, I thought to myself if I’m playing in four years’ time I’d love to give myself more of those, because that would be the last Olympics that I’d able to go to. I’m also just wanting to enjoy my tennis too. Sometimes it can wear you out a little bit. Sometimes you lose sight of why you do it, and maybe at some stages last year I lost sight of that. I want to enjoy my tennis, and if I can do that and be clear of head, I can have some pretty good results, hopefully in the Australian summer.

QUICK OFF THE MARK

First car?

I’ve never had one! I just drive my sister’s car. It was a Toyota Corolla but now she’s upgraded to a Mazda 3.

If there was a movie about your life, who would play you?

It would have to be an Australian actor … Liam Hemsworth.

Worst habit?

Chewing my nails. They get chewed down to the wick.

If you were down to your last $10, how would you spend it?

A chicken and salad roll on Turkish bread from the French-Vietnamese bakery near the Queensland Tennis Centre

Best advice you’ve received?

Mal Anderson told me when I was younger that it’s easy to win when you’re playing your best tennis, but when you don’t play well and find a way to win, that’s when you learn about yourself.

What’s your pump-up song before you play a match?

Working Class Man by Jimmy Barnes. It’s quintessential Australian rock, and tells the story of your everyday Aussie, and that gets to me.