Australian Open: Polmans channels Lendl as Aussies attack

Thirty years after Ivan Lendl wore a legionnaires cap in Melbourne, young Aussie Marc Polmans is bringing it back.

Australia’s Marc Polmans in action against Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan

Over the past few months in Melbourne, Marc Polmans would go through a daily ritual of pushing his body to the limit to ready himself for the Australian Open.

As a result, the Melburnian’s 6-4 6-3 4-6 6-7 (8) 6-4 breakthrough triumph over Mikhail Kukushkin in 4hr 17min was well received in local ranks.

Thirty years after Ivan Lendl wore a legionnaires cap to the second of his back-to-back Australian Open successes in Melbourne, Polmans is doing his best to bring the long-flapped hat back, though he admits some of his peers still look at him strangely.

“At the start they were a bit suss. (They) weren’t quite sure what I was doing,” he said.

“But now they’ve seen me on the tour for a couple of years, so they’ve kind of got used to it now, but definitely the guys on the ATP side haven’t quite seen me as much, so they do kind of look at me strange.

‘“Does he play with that all the time or just in practice?’ But all the Aussie guys know what’s up, so that’s OK.”

On a strong day for Australian men, the right-hander was among a group of talented but extremely hardworking professionals to taste deserved success.

Alexei Popyrin continued his solid run at grand slam level when former Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired while trailing 6-7 (5) 6-2 6-1.

Sydneysider Jordan Thompson posted his first victory for 2020 when a 6-4 6-3 6-2 victor over Alexander Bublick who, like Kukushkin, is from Kazakhstan.

John Millman was a superb 7-6 (3) 6-3 1-6 7-5 winner over Frenchman Ugo Humbert, who won the New Zealand Open last week.

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South Australian Alex Bolt produced another big comeback against Albert Ramos-Vinolas to win 7-6 (1) 1-6 6-7 (5) 6-1 6-4 in 3hr 24min.

There was less luck for James Duckworth on his return to grand slam tennis, with the injury-plagued talent edged by Aljaz Bedene 6-4 6-7 (5) 7-6 (5) 6-2 6-4.

But for Polmans, who is ranked 133, this was a significant breakthrough after seasons of toiling on the Challenger circuit.

The 22-year-old wears a crucifix on a necklace and must have felt like calling for divine intervention at one stage as match points slipped by in the fourth set.

In his Australian Open debut a year earlier, the Kooyong Tennis Club-sponsored professional led Denis Kudla by two sets, only to see his dreams dashed.

When he slipped behind a break in the deciding set against the 32-year-old, who reached the last 16 at Wimbledon last year, it seemed possible further heartbreak was looming. But he showed a steely resolve to triumph.

“(It) definitely started to creep into my head a little bit in the fifth set, but I knew I was playing pretty well,” he said. “I knew he was raising his game, which was similar to what happened last year, so I just tried to lift my game in the fifth and try to close it out.’’

As he prepared for this Australian Open, Polmans did most of his work at the National Tennis Centre, which is on site at Melbourne Park.

While the hat he wears captured the imagination of the Australian fans on Tuesday, the work ethic of the South African-born player is worth acknowledging.

Those who have watched him in recent years have been extremely impressed by his dedication as he has sought to bridge the gap between the Challenger ranks and the ATP Tour.

Each day between training sessions in recent weeks, he would retire to the locker room at the NTC and grab his lunch box to devour the treats made by his mother Nicola. She and his father Gavin were members of the South African badminton team but when Polmans showed significant promise as a junior, the family made the decision to move to Australia.

Those at the top of the tree in tennis are wealthy beyond imagination.

But for players such as the Melburnian who are working to the elite level, every dollar saved is crucial. To be able to win at least $128,000 for this event will help Polmans set up his year, with the victory pushing him to a ranking inside the top 120, which will be a career high.

“I did my full pre-season here in Melbourne, a solid six weeks, so I was really used to the conditions, the courts, the heat,” he said.

“It’s a bit of an advantage for the guys training in Melbourne, but it was a long pre-season, so I’m happy all the fitness sessions paid off today.”