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Jamaica tennis ace yearns to play Nadal
August 25, 2023
An introduction to tennis by his stepfather, which turned into a passion during his teenage years, has fuelled local ace Jeremy Miller's desire to meet his idol, the former world No. 1 ranked Rafael Nadal, in a one-on-one match.
Miller argues that it will be a match of similar styles, as he models his game off the Spaniard, who has won the clay court French Open 14 times, grass court Wimbledon twice, and while playing on the hard courts of the Australia and the US Open, has won them four and two times, respectively.
"I pattern my game off Rafael Nadal and more of his mentality - how he tries for every point, goes for everything, and stays out there and fights. I'm also a big fan of how much topspin he puts on the ball and how he does his forehand and bends the ball from outside to inside the court.
"Even if it's after he retires, I think he will retire after next year, so even after, that would be a dream come true to share the court with him," Miller shared.
He has been creating waves in Jamaica, but his introduction to the sport started with his stepfather and through steady practice and competitions, he began to love the sport as he aged.
"I initially started playing tennis at around age five. It was my stepfather who got me into the sport. I fell in love with tennis as I got older, during my teenage years, at around 12 or 13 years old," he stated.
Earlier this year, Miller defeated David Goldsmith 2-1 for the inaugural Innovative Invitational Amateur Tennis Classic, hosted at the Liguanea Club.
The well-talented Miller shared that his love for Brian Lara and West Indies cricket would have pushed him to take up the bat instead of the racquet, had he not chosen the tennis courts.
"The sport that I loved first was actually cricket; I'm a big West Indian fan, still am, even though they're not doing so great. If it wasn't tennis, it would have been cricket, and I'm also a big Brian Lara fan," Miller said.
