FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2020, file photo, Australia's John Millman, left, shakes hands with Switzerland's Roger Federer following their match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia.
Just four matches after his five-setter against Federer on one of the biggest stages in tennis, Millman was having to scramble to find a practice court.
(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)BRISBANE Just four matches after losing his five-setter against Roger Federer at the Australian Open, John Millman was having to scramble to find a practice court.
So, Millman went the social route, playing on backyard courts that belonged to people he sometimes was meeting for the first time.
In tennis, Millman said, the problem runs deeper than the pandemic despite a recent push to increase prize money for the early rounds and qualifying tournaments at the Grand Slam events.