Back in 2017, Samuel “Sam” Groth announced his retirement from professional tennis. He hung up the racket in the 2018 Australian Open. After falling to American youngster Taylor Fritz in the qualifiers, Sam Groth decided to hang his racket up. Sam Groth had a short but impactful career. He possessed an extremely powerful serve and was great at the net as well. However, his incredible serve didn’t help him win an ATP title in the singles category and he retired with way more losses than wins. However, he won two ATP titles in doubles and reached the semi final of the French Open in 2014. In this post, we will take a look at some of the key aspects and moments of his career. Let’s get started.

Sam Groth: All You Need To Know 

What style of tennis did Sam Groth play?

When Sam Groth retired, tennis lost one of the great one handed backhands in the business. One of the classic ATP servers. Sam Groth had a very powerful serve, one of the best on the circuit. He currently holds the official match record for the fastest serve with 263km/h in 2012. He was also known for his poor ability to return. His first serve was an absolute bomb and almost non returnable. He also had a great net game. But when it came to returning, great deficiencies were seen, due to his physique.

His second serve, however, was very weak, since he used to commit many double faults per game, especially in the final stretch of his career. He hardly used to put returns on the court, sometimes excessively abusing the cut backhand and going up to the net. He was looking to close the points quickly and directly. That is why he performed wonderfully on fast surfaces, such as grass and indoor courts, very much in keeping with his serve-volley style of play. Consequently, he also suffered on slower surfaces like clay and never made it past the first round of the French Open.

Did Sam Groth win any ATP titles?

He never won an ATP title at the individual level, but he did win several Challengers, highlighting those from Manchester and Taipei on grass and indoors, respectively in the 2016 season. He became number 53 in singles in 2015 after a great year. From then on, he would stand out for his lack of consistency in games, also the result of his constant disconnections in games, something usual for him, and also known for his anger in games. 

How was Sam Groth’s doubles career?

Sam Groth’s natural game translated well to doubles tennis. Thanks to his powerful serve and his good hand at the net. He got two titles in doubles, Bogota and Newport. The Australian was perhaps not the best returner in the world, but few players executed the serve-volley the way he did, one of the best in this specialty at the time. As data, note that he played on several occasions against the ‘Big 3’, winning a set against Roger Federer on the London grass at Wimbledon. He points out that never in his career did he come up against Novak Djokovic. His record against players from the ‘Big 3’, is negative, losing on all occasions when confronting them. However, it can be said that Sam Groth might’ve been more successful if he played tennis in the 80s and 90s when the courts were much faster and a serve and volley style of play was the norm.

Did Sam Groth call Novak Djokovic a “villain”?

Novak Djokovic has been the most dominant force in men’s tennis over the last few years. Along with Rafael Nadal, Djokovic has won 15 of the last 17 Grand Slams. One of the three greatest players of all time, Novak Djokovic looks set to leapfrog Nadal and Federer in the career Grand Slam titles race. Federer is too old to mount any serious challenge now and while Nadal is a Grand Slam ahead with 22, he just suffered a devastating injury. However, Djokovic’s refusal to take the COVID vaccine might result in him missing some more critical tournaments. On the historical importance of Djokovic’s actions, the former Australian player and now analyst Sam Groth spoke again: “Djokovic wants to give the impression that he does not care if he is not loved, but I do not think that is true. He will never attract the universal support that Federer has achieved and Nadal. Every era needs a villain, and he has become that. On the court, Novak is amazing, but off it, he didn’t do himself many favors.”

Did Sam Groth have an issue with Roland Garros?

Sam Groth’s accusations against Roland Garros continued for its decision to change the dates to autumn. Sam Groth opined through The Age portal, already removed from the circuit but still pending every move. In his video, the Australian explained his idea of ​​the French Open, whom he accuses of deliberately wanting to harm the Laver Cup by forcing players to choose between one tournament and another. Above all, preventing the competition led by Roger Federer from growing to the level of the ATP Cup or the Davis Cup.

What did Sam Groth say about the Nadal-Kyrgios rivalry?

The crossing of accusations between Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios has continued to be a topic of conversation within the tennis circuit. One of the most liked and respected players on the tour vs tennis’ problem child. The latest to give his opinion on the feud was the Australian Sam Groth who, on an RSN radio station, defended his compatriot and gave the reasons why Nadal appeared like this at a press conference: “Obviously, it has been shown that Rafa doesn’t like Kyrgios. Nick made himself known in the tennis world by beating the Spaniard at Wimbledon. I think that’s possibly the start of the rift between the two. To be honest, they’re now 3-3 head-to-head.” I don’t think there are too many guys on the circuit with whom Nadal doesn’t have a positive balance. He won’t like that very much,” Groth said. Nick Kyrgios infamously did multiple underhand serves to Nadal and didn’t bother apologizing or checking on Nadal after Kyrgios’ shot hit Nadal.

What did Sam Groth say about the Djokovic Nadal Wimbledon semifinal?

The already retired Australian tennis player Sam Groth has come to the fore to add fuel to the fire about the 2018 Wimbledon semifinals. Given the complaints about the exorbitant duration of the Anderson-Isner match of more than 6.5 hours and 50 games in the fifth set, Groth argued that the duration of the other semi between Djokovic and Nadal that ended in the fifth set 10-8 should also be criticized. Even that match lasted over five hours. “Why is nobody complaining about that match? I see there is a double standard at Wimbledon,” Groth commented.

How did Sam Groth injure his shoulder?

Sam Groth was trying to make the transition from tennis to Suburban Football when the Australian suffered a mishap shortly after making the move. In one of the crashes, he was hit below the elbow causing his shoulder to pop out of place. Doctors have had to completely rebuild his shoulder and he will miss the entire season right from the start. Groth played his last official tournament at the last Australian Open, where he played doubles alongside his friend Lleyton Hewitt.

Does Sam Groth play Australian Rules Football?

Together with Lleyton Hewitt, Sam Groth played his last match as a professional tennis player in the Australian Open but not as an athlete. Groth, a lover of Australian football, a sport with certain similarities to rugby and deeply rooted in his country, has signed for North Heidelberg, a team from the Northern Football League Division 1. It will not be his first competitive experience in this sport, as he has already played several matches in 2011.

What did Sam Groth say about Roger Federer?

Sam Groth is no longer a professional tennis player and in his farewell speech, he took the opportunity to recall some interesting episodes of his career. Questioned by Roger Federer, the Australian was full of praise for the Swiss and told an amusing anecdote. “He always looks very relaxed, treats everyone very well and jokes around a lot. He usually watches the matches in the player’s area. In this tournament, when Thiem saved a match point with a backhand, only Roger could be heard screaming in astonishment. and admiration,” said Groth who faced him at the 2014 US Open. “When you play against him you realize his greatness,” Groth said.

Which was the last ever pro tennis match of Sam Groth’s career?

One of the best Australian players of this century, Lleyton Hewitt, returned to the tennis courts at the Australian Open 2018, two years after playing his last professional match there. The now coach competed in Melbourne in the doubles discipline together with Sam Groth, having a nice gesture with him since Groth wanted to retire playing against his team but could not get a wildcard and was eliminated from the qualifiers. In this way, Sam Groth was able to play one last time in Australia and had the opportunity to retire playing with a legend like Lleyton. “The Australian Open is the ‘Happy Slam’ and I am happy and delighted to be able to play there again,” Hewitt revealed to the press.

Lleyton Hewitt returned to play an official match. He has done it at the Australian Open in doubles with his compatriot Sam Groth. The Australian pair managed to debut with victory, getting rid of the duo formed by the Uzbek Denis Istomin and the Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3 and 6-3. The great atmosphere experienced around court number two was incredible, and seeing Hewitt play again in a Grand Slam was something very attractive for the spectator. Their next opponents were Rojar and Tecau.

Impressive sensations were experienced on court 2 of the 2018 Australian Open with two local players who were theoretically retired from professional tennis, beating the third best doubles team on the planet. Sam Groth and Lleyton Hewitt once again demonstrated their love for tennis and honesty in the game by leaving their souls on the court to defeat Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojar 7-6 (2) 4-6 7-5. Their rivals in the third round will be the Spaniards Pablo Andújar and Albert Ramos.

The Australian team of Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Groth made it to the quarterfinals of this Australian Open. They managed to take advantage of the retirement of the Spanish team of Albert Ramos and Pablo Andújar. When the scoreboard reflected 3-3 in the first set, Albert was clear that he could not continue in the match, because the Catalan player already stated yesterday after his match against Novak Djokovic that he was not 100% physically and he had some discomfort in his body. Let’s hope it’s nothing and we can see it in the next tournaments. On the other hand, Hewitt and Groth will face Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah for a place in the semifinals.

Sam Groth and Lleyton Hewitt said a tearful goodbye to the Australian Open in their adventure in the doubles, staying in the quarterfinal round, where they lost to the pair Cabal and Farah by a score of 6-4 7-5. It was the last official match for Groth, who in his speech broke down crying when saying goodbye to tennis playing with his best friend on the circuit.

This proved to be the last pro tennis match of Lleyton Hewitt’s career as well.

How old was Sam Groth when he retired from tennis?

Sam Groth’s career on the ATP circuit is over. At 30 years old, the Australian played the last match of his career in the qualifying phase of the Australian Open 2018, where he was defeated by Taylor Fritz 4-6 6-3 7-6 (3). It is not the expected end for a man who became 53 in the world in singles and 24 in doubles, and who left moments to remember with his attacking tennis. He will go down in the annals of history as the man who achieved the fastest serve in history, reaching the magical mark of 263 kilometers per hour.

Sam Groth’s retirement is definitely one of the earliest retirements in tennis history. At 30 years old, the Australian player decided to end his career after the 2018 Australian Open. “I’ve been thinking about it since Wimbledon, I’m tired of life on the ATP circuit and at the Newport tournament, I saw myself playing on the center court against Isner and thinking that he didn’t want to be there. Always being away from home is difficult”, said Groth. He had reached the world ranking of 53 in 2015. But continuous injuries resulted in a significant drop in performance, forcing Groth to retire eventually.

Why was Sam Groth’s last Australian Open match in the doubles category?

Sam Groth sought retirement from professional tennis in style. The Australian player wanted to say goodbye to tennis at the Australian Open 2018 to his fans but he lost one of the three opportunities he had to do so. Far from direct qualification by ranking, Groth sought a place in the playoff among Australian players but had to withdraw due to physical discomfort in the first round. His options were to go to the preliminary phase of the first Grand Slam of the year and pass it or remain pending a wildcard entry into the main draw. However, it didn’t come to fruition and Sam Groth had to play in the doubles category with Australian legend Lleyton Hewitt.

Was Sam Groth paid to lose matches?

Sam Groth has confirmed many of the suspicions that fly over professional tennis: he was tempted with a lot of money for losing matches, something that the Australian never contemplated accepting. “It was a lot of money, but it wasn’t a temptation for me, because I’ve played this game for a long time and I respect it, I’m not going to throw it all away.”

Has Sam Groth broken his racket while playing tennis?

Sam Groth starred in one of the moments on the first day of qualifying at Wimbledon 2017. The veteran Australian player fell to Simone Bolelli, and took out his frustration on the racket, shattering it and knocking it off the court by throwing it hard into the stands. It is an image rarely seen in professional tennis, the whereabouts of Groth’s battered work instrument are unknown.

What did Sam Groth say about Nick Kyrgios’ desire to play tennis for Australia?

Sam Groth is one of Australia’s tennis veterans and his commitment to the Davis Cup team is undeniable. As the authoritative voice of Aussie tennis, he gave his opinion on Nick Kyrgios ‘ attitude towards his country. “He is eager and excited to play. He is very excited to represent Australia in the Davis Cup and it is seen that his best level and attitude comes out when there is a positive environment and he trains with us”, argued good Sam, stuntman. “He is being the most active in training during the week,” Groth said, giving young Nick’s fans a halo of hope.