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Australian tennis player James Duckworth eas enjoying the best days of his career just before the pandemic forced the ATP to suspend the season. Duckworth, who has a long history of dealing with injuries, saw the Tour suspension as a perfect opportunity to undergo a should surgery.
Duckworth, ranked at 104 in the world, is now preparing to open his 2021 season at the Murray River Open in Melbourne. “It was a tricky year for everyone, obviously dealing with the pandemic. It was great to get to my career-high and play Davis Cup, which was a dream come true.
Then as soon as COVID hit I decided to take that opportunity to have a shoulder operation,” Duckworth told Tennis Australia. Duckworth, a former world No. 71, admitted that not having to take anti-inflammatories is a strange feeling for him since.
“For the past 10-12 weeks I’ve been able to serve full pace without taking any anti-inflammatories. It is very strange for me not to be taking them. I’ve been on them for a couple of years constantly”.
Duckworth reflects on his first good Australian Open run
In 2012, Duckworth claimed his maiden Australian Open win after he beat Jurgen Zopp in the first round. In the second round, Duckworth was up by a set against former world No.
8 Janko Tipsarevic before losing to the Serb in four sets. “My first year was pretty great. I won a round then I played Janko Tipsarevic, who was No.9 in the world at the time, at Margaret Court Arena,” Duckworth recalled.
“It was a packed house there, which was pretty cool. We were a set all and deep in the third when the whole crowd started singing ‘Old McDonald had a farm’ and everyone was quacking. That was a really cool experience listening to six thousand people quack”. Last year, Duckworth lost in the first round st Melbourne Park to Aljaz Bedene.