Irish tennis star, 21, hails ‘dream come true' Wimbledon debut as his dad reveals unconventional way he was trained
James McCabe, 21, faces
Hungary
's Fabian Marozsan tomorrow in his first involvement at
Advertisement
3
James McCabe is making his Wimbledon debut tomorrow
Credit: Alamy Live News
3
His dad revealed he first learned to play through YouTube
Credit: Alamy Live News
He is Australian-born - with his dad Patrick having moved to
Patrick, originally from Walkinstown in
Mr McCabe appeared on
He admitted: "I did it through
money
."
Advertisement
Read More on Wimbledon
Their early base of operation was a complex in Rockdale, near Sydney Airport.
Patrick added: "There were two tennis
courts
in the facility.
"I took James down when he was two-and-a-half or three so he had a bit of aptitude.
"If the courts weren't there, I don't think James would have picked up a racket."
Advertisement
Most read in Sport
Along with tennis, James showed an aptitude for both
He is a former national champion in the
pool
, while he learned how to play the flute and piano and is a self-taught guitar player.
Grumpy Wimbledon fans left with sticky fingers as record-breaking weather sees ice creams melt before getting to court
While his dad admitted to getting "carried away" and being "a bit hard" on his son, James himself argued he did not know any different.
McCabe explained: "That was my childhood. Maybe it wasn't normal at the time but it is what it is and that is the only thing I knew so it was normal to me.
Advertisement
"Probably looking back now, it wasn't the most normal but it builds character and without it, I wouldn't be where I am now."
That is despite a hectic daily schedule that did not even account for tennis, which he temporarily gave up when he was 12 until 15.
"I had to wake up at like 4am or 5am in the morning.
"Swimming training would start at 5am then go to 7am and then at 7:30am I would have to do orchestra or choir or symphonic wind band or marching band depending on the day.
Advertisement
"I would go to
school
, it would start at 8:30am, recess at 10:30am, music lesson then and then 10:30am to 1pm would be classes and then another music lesson.
"3:45pm finish school, try to get something to eat quickly and then there would be orchestra after school, marching band, or symphonic wind band.
"That would finish at 5pm or 6pm, then try to get something light to eat then before swimming lessons at 7pm.
"I would be finishing at 9pm, get home at nearly 10pm. Try to get my homework done, go to bed at midnight and get up the
next
day at 5am."
Advertisement
'GOOSEBUMPS'
Once he picked the racket up once again, his talent was quickly apparent.
James won schoolboys national titles in singles, and nationals in singles and doubles before getting a wildcard into the Australian junior championships.
He beat Tomas Barrios
Vera
of
Chile
at Roehampton to qualify for
He beamed: "It is every tennis player's dream to play Wimbledon.
Advertisement
"It is one of the biggest sporting events in the world and, being Irish, my dad's dream was always to come to Wimbledon.
"He would always watch it when he was younger. He would watch Bjorn Borg because it was on
"It is a bit overwhelming. All the
history
hits you at once.
"I was lucky enough to get the
Championship
Tour so I got to walk where
Advertisement
While born in Australian and the son of a Philippine mum, James is proud of his Irish roots.
He holds an Irish passport, a distinction his 13-year-old sister Jasmin is keen to replicate.
And he revealed his dad Patrick has imparted his taste in Irish music onto him.
"I have three aunties in Ireland: one in Blessington, one in Saggart, and one in Mullingar. I have also got an uncle in Sydney.
Advertisement
"Irish has always been a big part of my life.
"I have been to
"He always listens to the Dubliners and all that stuff. Every day he plays the old Irish
songs
.
"He makes me play them on the flute, the Irish national anthem and the old songs about the
Advertisement
3
James Mccabe plays a baseline shot to Colton Smith during the match in the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Open
Credit: Alamy Live News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
44 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
‘Dillon is in our minds every time we take to the field' – Tipperary's Craig Morgan fondly recalls much-missed teammate
Irish folk are known for taking people down a peg or two at any opportunity so there's no fear of Tipperary star Craig Morgan losing the run of himself.
The 42
7 hours ago
- The 42
Chris Busby expresses frustration with IRFU as he retires from refereeing
IRISH RUGBY REFEREE Chris Busby has expressed his frustration with the IRFU after retiring from professional rugby, claiming he didn't receive enough 'genuine support' from the union's leadership during the most difficult period of his career. Busby confirmed in late January his intention to step away from the game at the end of the 2024/25 season. Over a month earlier, on 21 December, the Antrim native had refereed Leinster's 20-12 victory over Connacht at the Aviva Stadium, after which Connacht star Mack Hansen issued a scathing assessment of the officiating, describing some of the calls that went against his side as 'bullshit'. On 9 January, Ireland star Hansen received a three-match suspension for his remarks and was ordered to apologise to Busby, stating publicly that 'my emotions got the better of me' and expressing his regret over 'any distress' that his outburst had caused to Busby and his team of match officials. The URC also ordered Hansen to undertake a course that would help him to better understand the difficulties of being a match official. Advertisement Later on the same day as Hansen was sanctioned, The 42′s Murray Kinsella broke the story that Busby was set to retire from refereeing. It's understood that the Hansen incident and its subsequent fallout was the tipping point rather than the sole cause of the Ulster man's decision, which was multi-factored. Busby confirmed that report on 30 January but made himself available for selection by the URC until the end of the most recent campaign. In a LinkedIn post on Tuesday evening, the retiring Busby criticised the IRFU for what he described as a lack of support from his employers during 'the most difficult period of my professional life'. He did not specify the period in question. Included in the post was a framed photograph placed in a wheelie-bin. Busby said the photograph had been given to him by the IRFU as a keepsake to acknowledge his career. A statement issued by Busby on LinkedIn on Tuesday. 'Today marks the end of my time with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU),' Busby wrote, tagging the union in the post. 'I was given a framed photo as a memento to mark the occasion. 'A gesture, I suppose. But what I really needed — and never received from IRFU leadership — was genuine support during the most difficult period of my professional life. 'I'll be sharing more about that in the months ahead. For now, I'm grateful for the people I've met through the game — and looking forward to what's next.'
Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Dan Evans ready for a crack at Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon second round
Dan Evans believes he has earned one more shot at claiming a statement Wimbledon win after securing a second-round showdown with Novak Djokovic. Evans won the battle of Britain against fellow wild card Jay Clarke 6-1 7-5 6-2 to claim his first victory in SW19 since 2021. His reward is a second career meeting with 24-time grand slam champion Djokovic – four years after he won their first in Monte Carlo. 'I think when they do the stats, it has to be over three matches to have a 100 per cent record, so we'll say I have a decent record,' smiled Evans. It was the 35-year-old's first Wimbledon win in four years (John Walton/PA) 'But five sets are a lot different to three sets, albeit it was a big tournament.' Now 35, Evans says he is too long in the tooth to be overawed by another of the oldest swingers in town, 38-year-old Djokovic. 'I mean, there is no better place to do it than here,' he added. 'I've said all along, I would love one more. 'I had some fourth rounds, but my goal was to make the quarters of a grand slam. You don't always reach your goals, but I still believe I have a shot. 'This is his best surface, I imagine. It's going to be a tough match. But when I play the top guys, I don't change much about myself. It's not about them, it's about me. We're both competing for the same goal. Novak Djokovic awaits in the second round (Jordan Pettitt/PA) 'I've got a lot of respect for Novak. He's a great champion. He's done wonders for the game. He's done pretty much everything in the game. 'But it's also my chance to win the match. I have to be competitive, I have to play my game, I have to be myself. I can't go into my shell and have too much respect. 'Of course I'm lucky I've been inside the top 50 for X amount of years before that, and I got the experience to play on the big courts. 'Yeah, I am a wild card, but I don't feel like I'm a wild card playing Novak. I still feel my level's really good.' Evans has endured a tough year on the court having slipped down the rankings to outside the top 150. A calf injury curtailed his season last year and he spoke emotionally earlier in the week about starting to wonder whether the hard work he puts in every day is still worth it. 'Yeah, it's not that easy,' he added. 'The body obviously is getting older, as am I. 'I try the best with the team I have to be able to practice each day. It's not like this is the end product when you come to the tournament. 'You can't miss sessions because you just won't be good enough to win at these tournaments. You have to do the day in, day out stuff. 'Of course it gets harder. Things change a little, as well, in your training. But the last two, three months I've done a good job of it.'
