BEHIND THE SPORTS DESK: Is Millman the messiah?

FAR FROM an overnight sensation, Millman's story of hard work and determination has captured the hearts and minds of all Australians.

TENNIS: While his fairytale run at the US Open was brought to a screeching halt in a straight-set quater-final loss to Novak Djokovic, Aussie tennis star John Millman was the talk of the world this week.

Far from an overnight sensation, Millman's story of hard work and determination has captured the hearts and minds of all Australians.

With a win over former World No. 1 Roger Federer earlier this week, many have lauded Millman's coming as a new era for Australian tennis.

But is he really the tennis messiah we've been waiting for, or is it just a flash in the pan?

Moose and Pottsy head behind the sports desk to give our two cents.

MOOSE ELKERTON: We finally have a bloke to believe in

MAYBE he felt the winds of change blowing softly on his unappreciative neck, but the moment Nick Kyrgios admitted he had "barely done anything" in his career earlier this week was the death blow.

In fact it was more telling of John Millman's rise to power in Australian tennis, then the latter's shocking win over former world No. 1 Roger Federer.

Finally, after more than a decade of waiting, Australian tennis fans have a bloke we can cheer for, and we can do it with pride.

Players like Bernard Tomic, Kyrgios, and even to an extent Thanassi Kokinakis, have given us nothing.

In fact Kyrgios has brought more shame upon his country than good fortune.

But the thing that grinds Aussie tennis fans the most was his waste of talent.

Quite possibly the most talented young male to step on a court since Federer made his debut as a teenager, Kyrgios blew more matches with his lack of effort than anything.

He happily admitted he couldn't be bothered, and in turn spat on the fabric of the Australian identity.

But not Millman.

He has had to scratch and claw his way to the top. He is a 29-year-old journeyman who has never had it his way.

He puts in 100 per cent every time he takes the court, and because of that he is what I want young tennis players to aspire to become.

Fine, he had one big win in his career and the world has gone mental, but it is what he stands for that defines him.

JARRARD 'POTTSY' POTTER: Millman hype has gone too far

IT MUST be a bad sign for the future of Australian tennis that as soon as one player beats an ageing champion who played possibly the worst game in his career that we have a new favourite Australian tennis player.

Of course I speak of John Millman, who pulled off the upset of a lifetime, when the unseeded 55th world ranked 29-year-old journeyman from Brisbane knocked out world number two, 20 time grand slam winner and all-round legend Roger Federer from the US Open.

The last time an Australian beat Federer in a grand slam match was Pat Rafter in 1999, and I think that might say more about the dire lack of Australian men's tennis talent than it does about the greatness of Federer, and the greatness of Federer knows no bounds.

When you stack Millman up against the current players representing Australia in men's tennis, it's not hard to see why he has become a fan favourite.

You've got Nick Kyrgios, who seems to react more to the coaching of an umpire than a coach, and then there's Bernard Tomic, and I think the less said about him the better.

However, one upset win a legend does not make. Let's be real, Federer is past his prime, and was far from his world-beating best when he succumbed to Millman in the fourth round.

It's a win to remember, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Tennis fans are so starved of success, the defeat of a champion felt like a grand slam win.

Originally published as BEHIND THE SPORTS DESK: Is Millman the messiah?