A couple of hours were enough to change the life of Jordan Smith, an unknown tennis teacher who at the age of 29 became a millionaire on Wednesday night in Melbourne when he won the ‘One Point Slam’. It didn’t matter that the draw included 24 professionals, including the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff
Smith made the dream of any racket sports fan come true: to beat the best on a big stage and get rich doing it. He earned a cheque for 668,000 euros for tipping six points in his favour. He plans to invest it in a house in Sydney. “It might help my girlfriend and I move in the future because I’m still living at home,” he says.
Jordan earned his ticket to the tournament after becoming champion of the state of New South Wales, whose capital is Sydney, the town where he lives. He usually works throwing balls at the Castle Hill Tennis Academy, where he runs the club’s school with his parentsNeil and Michelle.
The new Australian idol had a discreet and brief stint in the professional ranks: his best position was 1141 during the 2023 season. He reached that position during his college career in the United States
“To be honest, I only slept about two hours. It’s amazing,” said the brand new winner of the tournament prior to the Antipodean major. “It’s going to be a life-changing moment.”
Giving away rackets
Like another star of the Australian Open, which kicks off on Sunday at Melbourne Park, Smith went live from 7am on Thursday on all the television stations that required his impressions. He later took part in an event in which 5,000 rackets were handed out to children who are tennis fans
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