Murray's rise to the top00:37:13
Murray's rise to the top
AFTER having his season halted by hip problems, John Millman will resort to the luck of the Irish to help his tennis next year.
Millman, Australia’s third-ranked male player, will hire Louk Sorensen, an Irish coach who lives in Germany, to work with him next year, especially in mid-2017 when he is playing European tournaments.
Brisbane’s Mark Draper, who coached Millman to his present ranking of No.72, will be directed by Tennis Australia to mentor younger players next year after he first works with Millman during the January circuit.
Millman had an injection for bursitis in a hip after curtailing his Asian tournament appearances last month and is also having treatment for labrum soreness and osteitis pubis.
But the 27-year-old from Norman Park is confident he will be able to start the season at the Brisbane International in January after he opened his 2016 season in India because that tournament had a less exacting ranking for direct entry.
Millman will adopt a smorgasbord approach to his coaching next year, with Draper, Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt and team coach Jason Stoltenberg all offering to help him before and during Grand Slam events.
“Mark has been instrumental for me in the last two years, but there have been some changes at TA which took a few people by surprise,’’ Millman said.
“Next year will be different for me. I’m looking into avenues now about organising coaching and I’ll be doing more out of Stuttgart with Louk.’’
Millman said his hip restricted his free movement for many weeks and an MRI in Brisbane late last month had “lit up like a Christmas tree’’.
“I was proud to maintain my ranking while exposing myself to many more ATP tournaments than the previous year — it’ll help me next year,’’ he said.
“I get a little more of a break now and hopefully I can get the hip right so I can have a good pre-season. I could be on court next week, but hitting with limited movement.’’
The Brisbane International had a direct entry cut-off of No.75 in 2016 and Millman might not know until late this month if his ranking is high enough to make him a direct entry.
If not, his ranking merits one of three TA wildcards.
“It’s the only tournament I’ve entered this time and I would relish the opportunity to play this tournament again,’’ he said.
