John Millman shares cold response he got after canceled practice with Rafael Nadal

• Tennis News
• Rafael Nadal

John Millman says underdogs definitely don't enjoy the same privileges as top players as the Australian recalled a time he wasn't allowed to practice on a Centre Court after Rafael Nadal called off their practice. In a post for news.com.com, Millman shared a few lessons he was taught before going pro.

One lesson stated that every match - even those between a heavy favorite and an underdog - starts at 0-0. But when Millman became a pro, he realized that was "a wrong lesson" as top players enjoy far better treatment and privileges - which according to the Australian, puts them in advantage over the majority of the competition.

In his piece, Millman recalled a time he had a practice scheduled with Nadal on the Indian Wells Centre Court. When Nadal canceled the practice and Millman wanted to still practice with another player, he was told "No" because he was "a nobody."

Millman tells what happened after Nadal canceled their scheduled practice

"Even if there is a big court available you must ensure that you play with a tournament favourite.

I learnt that the hard way at Indian Wells when I managed to secure a premium two-hour slot on centre court with Rafael Nadal. Unfortunately, Covid struck and Nadal had to cancel last minute as he sought a flight home to Spain.

When the tournament found out that I still planned to use the court with a lesser-known player, they told me that because I was a nobody, I wouldn’t be allowed entry on the court. It’s hard to believe but they’d rather have the court empty than have a few 'no names' hit on their precious bitumen," Millman wrote for news.com.au.

My latest opinion piece. Time to get around the underdog? https://t.co/86urJk2Muy — John Millman (@johnhmillman) May 31, 2023

Millman, who is set to turn 34 on June 14th, has one ATP title in his collection and his career-high ranking saw him ranked at No 33 in the world. Millman's career-best win came at the 2018 US Open, when he famously stunned Roger Federer in the round-of-16.