Young tennis star Jeffrey Strydom returns from maiden Junior Australian Open

He’s the Aussie teen who has played in the Junior Davis Cup alongside Cruz Hewitt and now, after a debut Australian Open, Jeffrey Strydom hopes this will be the first of many grand slams he competes in. Meet the 15-year-old who could be an Aus Open star for years to come.

Jeffrey Strydom. Picture Dean Martin

He is the rising star of Toowoomba tennis who built his game in the image of the sport’s modern greats.

Now Jeffrey Strydom has set his sights on following up his Australian Open junior grand slam debut with an appearance at the US Open or tennis’ spiritual home at Wimbledon.

Growing up in the 2010s, Strydom fell quickly in love with tennis.

The ‘big three’ of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer captured his imagination as he soon realised he one day wanted to achieve the heights of those tennis legends.

Now 15, Strydom has edged closer to achieving his dream of following in his idols’ footsteps after returning from his debut junior grand slam.

An opportunity to play on one of the Australian Open’s main stages delivered a taste that left the the South African-born prodigy hungry for more.

“It was awesome,” the teenager said.

“I got to play on Showcourt 3 so had a lot of fans come down which was unexpected.

“Because an Aussie was playing a lot came down and were cheering your name so it was a good experience.

“It was so special … it was the first time I’ve played in front of such a big crowd.”

This was what Strydom hopes is the first of many grand slams as he continues to live out a childhood dream that began when he first to started to play at six years old in his native Adelaide.

“I always watched Nadal and Federer play on TV and I always wanted to play on the big stage one day,” he said.

Jeffrey Strydom competes in an under-12 boys quarter final against Asher Brownrigg in the Rafa Nadal Tour at the Toowoomba Regional Tennis Centre, Sunday, May 2, 2021. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“I always knew that’s what I wanted to do, but probably two or three years ago, when I became No.1 in Australia, I started feeling like I can actually do this and go really far in the sport.”

Those countless hours watching his heroes battle on the court have had an everlasting impact.

“My favourite (player) growing up was Nadal, I really just liked his attitude on the court so I try and take that mentality with me on the court,” Strydom said.

“My playstyle, I try and mould that more around Djokovic because I feel like he’s the greatest to ever play.

“I try and copy his forehand and backhand and his movement, he’s just all-round a really good guy to try and mould around.”

While crowds flocked at this year’s Australian Open to catch young gun Cruz Hewitt - the son of Australian tennis legend Lleyton - Strydom has already experienced Cruz’s talent first hand.

The pair were members of the 2024 Australian Junior Davis Cup squad with Strydom making the team to play Kazakhstan in Kazakhstan despite being a year younger than his peers.

“That was a bit unexpected because I can still play this year. I was a year too young for that and I got called up,” Strydom said.

“Playing for Australia with Cruz Hewitt and Cam Burton was a really good experience.

Jeffrey Strydom is one of the top junior tennis players in the country. Picture: supplied

“Because we played Kazakhstan they had a huge crowd there so it was good to experience that.

“Hopefully this year I get to represent Australia again and this time qualify for the main stage.”

While competing at a junior grand slam and representing Australia in the Davis Cup was a moment which will live long in Strydom’s memory, these are not the only achievements he holds close to him.

Some of his proudest moments include victories on home soil and competing on the ITF Junior Circuit.

“I worked hard to try and win the under-14 nationals and I got one in Adelaide in 2023 so that was one of my proudest achievements,” he said.

“When I went to Europe for the first time that was a different experience. I didn’t know what to expect and I won an under-14s tournament there as well.

“Recently I won my first ITF in Fiji, that’s also been a big goal of mine, to get my ranking up.”

After a breakthrough debut slam appearance, Strydom shared his major goals for what is set to be a massive year of growth for his career.

“Big goals for me this year is to become top 80 on the ITF by the end of the year before they drop off and to play another grand slam for the juniors so hopefully US Open, or if I can Wimbledon or French (Open),” he said.

“Then just to make Davis Cup and just keep improving every single day and really work on everything in my game because there’s still heaps to work on.”