Australia has produced several world-class players over the years, across both men’s and women’s tennis.
Alex de Minaur is under the most pressure in Australian tennis right now, with the ATP ace currently ranked seventh in the world.
He is set to come under the spotlight next month, when the ATP and WTA tours turn their attention to the Australian Open.
But he certainly isn’t the first Australian ace to be in that position, with so many talents from the nation having come and gone over the years.
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Australian legend Evonne Goolagong claimed seven Grand Slam titles
Margaret Court won 11 Australian Open titles, helping her join Novak Djokovic on 24 Grand Slam titles, more than any other player.
She is one of a number of Australian icons, along with the likes of Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall and John Newcombe among many others.
Also on the list is Evonne Goolagong, who reached number one in the world rankings during her stunning career.
She famously claimed seven Grand Slam singles titles, and added six doubles titles and one mixed doubles title to her honors list too.
Goolagong clinched a mammoth 68 WTA titles in total during her entire career, winning over 700 matches.
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Goolagong undoubtedly earned the respect of her peers thanks to her phenomenal efforts for many years.
Sharing her verdict on her fellow Australian for the New York Times back in 1971, Court said of Goolagong: “She can be down love-40, apparently beaten, and she’s still trying to hit winners.
“She just won’t play safe tennis, and her shots are quite unpredictable. They’re liable to come back in any direction.
“She never lets up trying to hit for the lines or catch you on your wrong foot. The harder you hit the ball to her, the more she likes it.
“It’s best to slow the game up, rather than try to outbelt her. And she loves a wide ball… she’ll have a crack at anything.”
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The pair certainly got to know each other well that year, with Court defeating her compatriot in the 1971 Australian Open final.
Goolagong got her revenge in that year’s Wimbledon final, while they also teamed up to play doubles at both tournaments.
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