Daria Saville and other top Aussies share their top training tips with our AO Holiday Programs presented by Weet-Bix
London, Great Britain, 2 July 2024 | Dan Imhoff
Alex de Minaur and Daria Saville spearhead an 18-strong contingent of Australians stepping onto Wimbledon’s green lawns in main draw action over the coming fortnight.
Primed to contest the season’s third Grand Slam event before the throng of fans that manage to snag a ticket to the traditional home of tennis, they haven’t ended up there by chance.
All are the product of exceptional dedication, a realisation that talent only takes them so far, that fitness, mental strategies and, above all, practice help earn their respective places in the main draws at majors.
We sat down with some of our Aussie Wimbledon talent, past and present, to hear their top training tips to share with our AO Holiday Programs, presented by Weet-Bix™️.
Former world No.20 Saville has showed an encouraging return to form, including a quarterfinal in San Diego in March.
The 30-year-old, who has more than halved her ranking to be back on the cusp of the top 80 following her return last year from a second knee surgery, said it was crucial to have intentions in practice.
“I wouldn’t expect a 12-year-old to have intentions to be honest, I probably didn’t at that age, but at least having three things that you want to get out of the session would be way more valuable than just hitting for the sake of hitting,” she said. “I average about two to two-and-a-half hours a day, six times a week.”
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Australia’s third-ranked men’s singles player, Alexei Popyrin, broke into the top 40 earlier this year and cited a practice session with a three-time Grand Slam champion as a teenager as his most memorable as an up-and-comer.
“One of the first practices I had with a top-10 player was with Stan Wawrinka when I was about 17 or 18 years old,” he said. “I remember comparing how good my game was compared to his – and I was quite a way away.”
Popyrin, who outlasted Wawrinka to claim his second tour title in Croatia a year ago, said focus was key for any aspiring player aiming to maximise their practice sessions.
“It’s not just about one practice session either, it’s about the consistency and buckling down to practise with full intensity every single day,” he said. “Listening to your parents and…
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