John Milman confirmed that the 2024 season will be his last as a professional before retiring from the sport.
The 34-year-old Australian tennis player has dealt with injuries in the 2023 season, preventing him from maintaining regularity on the ATP Tour, and he is currently ranked World No. 437.
Milman reached his career-high ranking of World No. 33 after a remarkable campaign at the 2018 US Open, where he defeated the 14th seed Fabio Fognini and the World No. 2 Roger Federer but eventually fell to the eventual champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
This year, he has only played five tournaments, with four of them taking place between January and February. He returned to play in the US Open, but he exited in the second round of the qualifiers.
“Unfortunately age has caught up to me. The body is really broken down,” Millman told 9News Queensland on Thursday.
“It’s been a fantastic career, but I’m ready to try something else.”
The Australian can boast in his career of reaching the final of the ATP 500 Japan Open, where he also fell to the 24-times Grand Slam champion. Additionally, he has represented Australia in the Davis Cup and has had two participations in the Olympic Games:
“I think at the end of every year you kind of assess where you’re at mentally and physically,” he explained about his decision to retire.
“At the end of last year and (after) having quite an encouraging Australian Open summer series, I was ready to go again, but one back injury after another has really halted my progression this season.
“For me, the way I play, I have to be up there playing 11 months a year and I’m just no longer able to do so.
“I can still play at a high level I feel, but not day-in, day-out, the body is not letting me.
“All those years of being physical on the court has caught up with me,” he concluded.
All good things come to an end. After the upcoming Australian Summer I’ll be retiring from professional tennis. I’m incredibly grateful for all the support I’ve had throughout my career. It’s been a thrilling ride living out a dream I had as a kid. ❤️
