Unless your name is Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz or Rafael Nadal, breaking through on the tennis circuit demands patience. At the start of the Australian Open, the average age of the men’s top 100 players was 26.6, with 19 players aged 30 years or older. Getting in there is far from easy.
Aleksandar Vukic knows all about taking time. The Sydney-born Vukic broke into the world’s top 100 in 2023 but at the age of 28 he had still only won three matches at grand slam level before this week. After beating the No 22 seed, Sebastian Korda, in the second round at Melbourne Park, he’s through to a clash against Britain’s Jack Draper, a major step forward in Vukic’s career, not to mention a guaranteed AU$290,000 and by far his biggest pay cheque.
