Thompson breaking new ground: 'I've been working my whole life'

Jordan Thompson made history Monday when he cracked the Top 30 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time aged 30. Only three players in the 21st century have accomplished the feat for the first time at an older age: Gilles Muller (33), Jan-Lennard Struff (30) and Michael Llodra (30).

“It's pretty special. Thirty on 30,” Thompson told ATPTour.com after advancing to the second round of the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers. “I've been working my whole life to keep pushing forward. So hopefully I can keep going. Top 30 is a good milestone for me, but hopefully I can keep pushing on.”

It has been a long time coming for the Sydneysider. His father, Stephen, is a tennis coach and has mentored ‘Thommo’ since the age of four.

“I remember my dad putting in a lot of hours on the court that I probably never thanked him for, and my mom a lot of time driving in the car with me,” Thompson recalled. “I remember I spent so many hours just driving all around — well, my mom spent all those hours driving around Sydney — and I probably never thanked her either. So it's a lot of sacrifice that goes into any professional athlete. I have a lot to thank them for.”

The Australian has fond memories of those early days. He worked hard to steadily improve, reaching a career-high No. 18 in the juniors and cracking the Top 100 in 2016 aged 22. He credits it all to his family and the coaches who helped him along the way.

“It is odd for a father and son, but we never really had an argument, and we never really do on the court. I remember one time, I thought I was right, but I was wrong. And then when I found out, I just let it go, and never did it again,” Thompson said. “He was always trying to make sure my technique was in order. Pretty much every shot that I have is owed to my dad.

“[I was] hitting kick serves before 10 years old and working on forehand technique, backhand technique, slice, everything. He always told me, 'If you want to be a good player, you've got to do everything well'. So hopefully I'm doing that.”

Thompson’s father still helps Jordan today, training him when they’re together during the preseason and traveling for a few weeks in the middle of the year. “I'm pretty lucky,” Thompson said.

The 30-year-old is one of the most gritty players on the ATP Tour, using his fighting spirit and all the tools in his bag. Whether a heavy kick serve out wide, a defensive slice, or angles off the forehand wing, Thompson employs it all to find ways past his opponent.

In February, the Australian won his first ATP Tour title in Los Cabos. In the quarter-finals, Alex Michelsen led him 6-0, 4-1, 15/40 on Thompson’s serve. The rugby fan rallied, then defeated Alexander Zverev in a final-set tie-break and Casper Ruud to lift the trophy. What is next for the World No. 30?

“The real goal is to be a seed at the Grand Slams for me. So I'm getting close. Hopefully I can do that,” Thompson said. “But also it's about trying to keep getting better and keep improving, so hopefully I can do that for a few more years, while my career is still going.”

When a young Thompson was training with his father in Sydney, he did not spend all his time dreaming of winning titles. But this year he checked that box off and is now a Top 30 player seemingly still in position to break new ground.

“I just wanted to win matches, and if the title came with it, unreal. But I think everyone wants to win titles. The way I see it is it's one point at a time, not really looking too far ahead,” Thompson said. “Of course I want to win a title, but at the start of the week, I'm not thinking, 'I want to win this title'. I'm obviously there to win it, but I'm taking it point by point and taking it opponent by opponent. So I think it's more the fact that I don't look ahead to too much.

Fourteen months ago, Thompson fell from the Top 100 for a week. Ever since, he has soared towards the top of the sport.

“For nearly the last 10 years, I've finished inside the Top 100. A couple of weeks I fell out in two separate years, I think,” Thompson said, before reflecting on his return to form. “I've got to put that down to the coaching, my dad and [coach] Marinko [Matosevic] getting me back on track there.

“I just got straight back out… There's always work to be done.”