5 things you may not know about John Millman

01 July 2016 01:53

Andy Murray will take on Australia's John Millman in the third round of Wimbledon on Saturday.

Millman, 27, is ranked 67th in the world and is through to the last 32 at the All England Club for the first time.

Here, Press Association Sport lists five things you may not know about Millman.

1. Liverpool fan

Despite being from Brisbane, Millman is an avid Reds supporter and tries to watch matches whenever he can. Explaining his allegiance, Millman said: "I have been a Liverpool fan since I was really young. I think on my dad's side of the family, they're all (Manchester) United supporters, and the team they hate the most is Liverpool. So, being a annoying little six-year-old, you probably go for the team they hate the most."

2. Dishing out the drinks

Millman has a reputation as one of the nicest guys on the tour and is known for handing out drinks to fans during matches. He said: "I don't really want people to know that because I will probably get a bill. I do it at most tournaments, actually. I try to raid the fridges. Here it's so overcast that you'd have to hand out coffee or something. Tennis is nothing without the fans, so I think it's always good to give back to them. I know if I was a little kid and I wanted some drinks, I would have loved it."

3. Injuries

Millman was closing in on a place in the top 100 in 2013 when he was diagnosed with a serious shoulder injury. The timing was particularly cruel because he had been awarded a wild card into the French Open for what would have been his first grand slam appearance outside of Australia. The beneficiary of Millman's misfortune was a then 18-year-old Nick Kyrgios, who seized his chance with victory over Radek Stepanek and has not looked back.

4. Futures fun

Millman spent years slogging away on the decidedly unglamorous Futures and Challenger Tours prior to making it to Wimbledon. One of his favourite stories comes from a tournament in Korea. He and countryman Matt Barton were hungry and fed up of waiting for transport back to their hotel so decided to order a pizza while watching a doubles match. To their surprise and general amusement, the delivery driver drove his tuk-tuk right up to the court and demanded payment from one of the players just as he was about to receive serve.

5. Trivia

Millman likes to unwind when he is at home in Brisbane by attending a twice-weekly quiz with friends, including fellow pro James Duckworth, at the Norman Park Bowls Club.

Source: PA