John Millman Recalls Struggle to Get to Top 40
Tennis - Australia's John Millman talks about the hard times he went through in his initial days as a professional tennis player in an interview with The Financial Review. Millman is currently ranked in the Top 40 in the rankings, but he has spent his years grinding through the lower ranking circuits as well. "It had to be done. If you wanted to build a professional career you had to play in these tournaments. I thought I was going to be decent enough that money would just come, but then reality hits you. You realise you are an extremely small fish in an ocean. And you realise how tricky it is not to be able to invest in yourself that well, even if it's getting a good meal when you are playing."
The 29-year-old Millman says it was tough for him on the professional circuit as he saw some of his university friends enjoying a slightly more relaxed life. "In tennis, you are investing in yourself the whole time. You are running your own little business and it's not profitable early on. My mates were at university. On the weekend they were getting on the drink and having a good time and living the normal life. I was envious of them."
Having reached the top 40 and the US Open quarter-finals in 2018, Millman says he has enough money now to invest in himself and also drew up a contract with his coach which paid his coach more as Millman won more matches. "This is where you can start investing in yourself. You now find you have the funds to do it on a more professional level. We structured a contract which sees him win if I win. The money in tennis is a lot less than other sports – you have to be careful. The 200th best AFL guy is getting more money than the 200th best tennis player in the world. When you invest you are more likely to see a return. I am more interested in property than shares."
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from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2ERnjbt
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