John Millman on Tour restart: We need to start making a living again

Australian tennis star John Millman admitted at first he was concerned about traveling to the United States in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

The USTA is staging both the Cincinnati Masters and US Open in New York, in a bubble, where players follow strict health restrictions.

"The temperature back home surrounding COVID is one of caution, apprehension and massive concern. I feel like in Australia, the Australian government and people have taken this extremely seriously as a whole nation,” Millman told Tennis Australia.

“Admittedly at the start when I heard we were going to be playing the US Open, especially when you see all the cases they have got here, it was something I was concerned about and I think I had every reason to be.”

Millman admitted he needed to start earning money again 

In his first match of the season restart, Millman came from a set down to beat France's Adrian Mannarino in the first round. 

Millman then suffered a disappointing second round loss as John Isner edged him out 4-6 7-6 (3) 7-6 (5).

"This is our living and like every Australian, we need to start making a living again. I was excited to get back,” Millman said.

“I weighed up the pros and cons – obviously and honestly, there were cons to playing. But the excitement that I can enjoy doing what I’ve been doing for a long time now, which is playing tennis and competing on the biggest stage, outweighed the cons

Former world No. 33 Millman says he has zero regrets about coming to the USTA bubble as he feels safe inside of it.

"The USTA have done a fantastic job," Millman claimed.

“Life in the bubble is good. We are a fair bit away from New York City. They have got security everywhere and I think all the players are embracing it. They have created a really nice atmosphere at the hotel. There are food trucks every night at the hotel, which is awesome. I’m loving the diversity of that. I’m a big food truck fan back at home and we haven’t really been able to do that for a while, so that’s been awesome. They have outdoor entertainment areas, they’ve got arcades, they’ve got recovery rooms set up. I think they’ve done a really good job and gone above and beyond their capabilities to create an environment where the players feel comfortable.”

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/32Cuy1j