He's mentored by SBW, plays the flute and is a champion swimmer. Now he's chasing his Wimbledon dream
He answered every question thoughtfully, including extended pauses, and even asked to go again on one occasion to offer a better answer.
The Filipino-born world No.177 already won a round at this year's Australian Open, and is competing with the likes of Tristan Schoolkate and Li Tu to be the next Aussie man to crack the top 100. McCabe's dad, Irish-born Patrick, and former world No.15 Wally Masur are coaching him.
'Tennis has always been my dream. Dad took me on the court when I was two-and-a-half, and I could rally the first time I picked up a racquet,' McCabe said. 'Dad has the video somewhere. He thought it was a bit silly – I had a diaper on at the time.'
McCabe hates swimming so much from his competitive experience that he barely gets wet these days. He dumped that sport at 15 and made an instant impact when he began swinging a racquet again.
Loading
McCabe won the singles at the Pizzey Cup team event, then captured the singles and doubles titles in his age group at Tennis Australia's December Showdown to stamp his ticket for the 2020 Junior Australian Open.
'[But] I dropped the racquets again, COVID hit, and I got really fat – Sonny always makes jokes about it, so I don't really want those photos being released,' McCabe said.
'We had the UTR [tournaments] in Sydney and Brisbane during COVID, and that's when I met Wally and basically, everything kicked off. Wally's mentored and coached me since.'
TA granted McCabe a wildcard into last year's Australian Open, then again this past January, but this is the first time he has qualified for a major. His first-round Wimbledon foe, Marozsan, has been ranked in the top 40 and made the round of 32 at the past two Australian Opens, so McCabe has his work cut out.
'It's going to be a battle. I'm excited,' he said.
'I've just got to get my emotions in check. I'll have [time] to go and see and explore Wimbledon, then [I will get] back into training and try to stay calm and plan and do everything I possibly can to hopefully get over the line.'
McCabe needed less time to give his opinion on the long-awaited Sonny Bill Williams-Paul Gallen boxing match in Sydney on July 16.
Ex-rugby superstar Williams is a long-time family friend of the McCabes, and was in his player box for his breakthrough victory at Melbourne Park in January. They FaceTime each other, and Williams sent McCabe a message of congratulations after he qualified for Wimbledon.
Loading
They even share the same manager, Khoder Nasser.
'I'm very lucky and grateful that I have Sonny Bill mentoring me and giving me all his tips,' McCabe said.
'[He might be] the greatest of all-time in his field, and the way he carries himself – his humbleness – [is rare]. Giving away your gold medal after winning the world championships [in 2015] would make anyone cry.
'The more banter, the better. Hopefully, one is on the floor, and it's not Sonny. Sonny is always my No.1. Brother, you've got this – believe.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Birrell makes swift exit as Aussies open Wimbledon bid
Under blue skies more redolent of her Gold Coast home than London, Kim Birrell has achieved the unenviable distinction of being the first player knocked out of this year's Wimbledon championships. The 27-year-old, making her debut at the grass court slam, never recovered from a nervy start in which she surrendered the first set to No.22 seed Donna Vekic. Any thoughts that she might benefit from a London heatwave that had spectators seeking any shade they could find had quickly evaporated. A much-improved battling second set prompted hope, at 4-4, of forcing a third, but the experienced Croatian then took the last two games to complete a 6-0 6-4 victory in 79 minutes. Birrell, who saved one match point but then sent a forehand long on the second, left the English capital with some hard-earned experience and £66,000 ($A138,500) as her reward for battling through qualifying. She was the first of seven Australians in the women's singles with Olivia Gadecki, Ajla Tomljanovic and Tahlia Gibson due on court later on Monday.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Alcaraz, Sabalenka in action on day one at sizzling Wimbledon
Carlos Alcaraz launches his bid for a third straight Wimbledon crown on Monday while Aryna Sabalenka seeks to banish a season of Grand Slam final misery as temperatures soared on the opening day of the championships. With London sweltering in a summer heatwave, Alcaraz will aim to maintain his red-hot form in the opening match on Centre Court against 38-year-old Italian Fabio Fognini. Having vanquished seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the past two Wimbledon finals, Alcaraz is looking to join an elite group at the All England Club. The 22-year-old has won 29 of his 32 Tour-level matches on grass, with his last defeat at Wimbledon coming against world number one Jannik Sinner in the last 16 in 2022. Alcaraz is bidding to become the fifth man in the Open Era to win at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic. "I really want to lift the trophy. I'm not thinking about how many players have done it, winning three Wimbledons in a row," said the Spaniard, who beat Sinner in an epic French Open final earlier this month. "I'm just thinking that I want to prepare myself in the best way possible. Obviously, I feel a lot of confidence right now." Former England captain David Beckham will watch the action from the royal box on Centre Court, alongside ex-England manager Gareth Southgate. - Mercury soars - Temperatures on Monday are expected to climb to at least 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit). According to the Met Office, it is provisionally the hottest start to Wimbledon on record, with 29.7 Celsius being recorded nearby. The tournament has a heat rule that it is ready to activate to safeguard the health of the players. The rule allows a 10-minute break to be taken between the second and third sets for women's matches and between the third and fourth sets for men's matches, when the heat stress index is at or above 30.1 degrees Celsius. "The obvious point to make is that the athletes compete in temperatures like this all year on the Tour so for us Brits here at the championships it feels very hot," said Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton. "We do have the heat rule available to us which again is well used on the tour so we will be taking heat stress monitor readings." Sabalenka will be determined to keep her cool when the women's top seed starts her campaign against Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine on Court One. The 27-year-old Belarusian is a three-time Grand Slam champion but has suffered agonising three-set defeats in this year's Australian Open and French Open finals. Sabalenka was beaten by Madison Keys in Melbourne and Coco Gauff in Paris, with the latter defeat triggering a frustrated outburst from the loser. She was heavily criticised for claiming the Roland Garros loss was due to her own mistakes rather than Gauff's performance. "I didn't really want to offend her (Gauff). I was just completely upset with myself, and emotions overcame me. I just completely lost it," Sabalenka said. "It was a tough time for me. The lesson is learned. I was able to sit back and be open to myself, not just to ignore some things. "I really hope it will never happen again." Elsewhere on Monday, German third seed Alexander Zverev faces France's Arthur Rinderknech, while Italian women's fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, beaten by Barbora Krejcikova in last year's final, opens against Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia. There are 23 British players in the men's and women's singles, the most since 1984, with former US Open champion Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter among those in action on Monday. A significant change this year will be the absence of line judges after a switch to electronic line calling. "It will be a little bit different and I think it'll take us a little bit of time to get used to that but we felt very much that it was time to move on," said Bolton. With thousands of people in the queue for tickets on Monday the All England Club is advising people not to travel.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Aussie coach's Swift response to Lions eligibility jibe
Jokes about the British and Irish Lions' eligibility haven't stuck according to laid back captain Maro Itoje, who has laughed off the expectation of more to come as the "Australian way". Ten players in Andy Farrell's squad, including Australian-born trio Finlay Bealham, Sione Tuipulotu and Mack Hansen, were born outside England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They have qualified either through family or long-term residency, with Hansen and Tuipulotu Australian under-20 teammates and Super Rugby graduates before their moves. Banter was thrown in Saturday's clash with the Western Force in Perth, with the Optus Stadium ground announcer quick to reference the tourist's foreign roots. Centre Bundee Aki and No.9 Jamison Gibson-Park were born in New Zealand but now star for Ireland and will feature in a strong Lions team against the Reds. "As long as they play a bit of Taylor Swift I'll be happy," Reds coach Les Kiss quipped when asked if he expects more jibes over the Suncorp Stadium speakers. "I don't think we'll be getting into that space." Kiss, a former Queensland and Australian rugby league winger, earnt his rugby coaching stripes in a two-decade stint that included success with the Ireland Test team as well as Irish and English clubs. "I've coached a number of those boys. Finlay Bealham was there early," Kiss said of the prop, who moved to Ireland as an 18-year-old. "It's not a light-hearted, easy thing to do. "It's an opportunity. To Mack Hansen, Bundee, I say, 'good on them'. "You get opportunities in different ways. A lot (of banter) is tongue and cheek and have a bit of fun, and that will continue. "The way Aussies like to use our humour - I think the English, Welsh, Scots and Irish, they get it." Reds and Wallabies hooker Matt Faessler agreed. "It could feel like an away game, we might need it," he laughed. "But I think Aussie fans dance on that line quite well. "When the Lions tour, new and old rugby fans come out of the works and see how good international rugby is. "There'll be a fair bit of chat if you go to Caxton Street, a bit of to-and-fro." Lions captain Itoje, who watched from the stands in Perth, is on the same page. "It's the Australian way, isn't it?" he smiled. "They love their sport. Rugby's a little different on a Lions tour. You can feel the atmosphere. It's heightened in comparison to when we were here with England. "As the tour goes on, the atmosphere will build and build and build. "It's just a sports-loving country; aggressive competitors, a little bit chirpy." Jokes about the British and Irish Lions' eligibility haven't stuck according to laid back captain Maro Itoje, who has laughed off the expectation of more to come as the "Australian way". Ten players in Andy Farrell's squad, including Australian-born trio Finlay Bealham, Sione Tuipulotu and Mack Hansen, were born outside England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They have qualified either through family or long-term residency, with Hansen and Tuipulotu Australian under-20 teammates and Super Rugby graduates before their moves. Banter was thrown in Saturday's clash with the Western Force in Perth, with the Optus Stadium ground announcer quick to reference the tourist's foreign roots. Centre Bundee Aki and No.9 Jamison Gibson-Park were born in New Zealand but now star for Ireland and will feature in a strong Lions team against the Reds. "As long as they play a bit of Taylor Swift I'll be happy," Reds coach Les Kiss quipped when asked if he expects more jibes over the Suncorp Stadium speakers. "I don't think we'll be getting into that space." Kiss, a former Queensland and Australian rugby league winger, earnt his rugby coaching stripes in a two-decade stint that included success with the Ireland Test team as well as Irish and English clubs. "I've coached a number of those boys. Finlay Bealham was there early," Kiss said of the prop, who moved to Ireland as an 18-year-old. "It's not a light-hearted, easy thing to do. "It's an opportunity. To Mack Hansen, Bundee, I say, 'good on them'. "You get opportunities in different ways. A lot (of banter) is tongue and cheek and have a bit of fun, and that will continue. "The way Aussies like to use our humour - I think the English, Welsh, Scots and Irish, they get it." Reds and Wallabies hooker Matt Faessler agreed. "It could feel like an away game, we might need it," he laughed. "But I think Aussie fans dance on that line quite well. "When the Lions tour, new and old rugby fans come out of the works and see how good international rugby is. "There'll be a fair bit of chat if you go to Caxton Street, a bit of to-and-fro." Lions captain Itoje, who watched from the stands in Perth, is on the same page. "It's the Australian way, isn't it?" he smiled. "They love their sport. Rugby's a little different on a Lions tour. You can feel the atmosphere. It's heightened in comparison to when we were here with England. "As the tour goes on, the atmosphere will build and build and build. "It's just a sports-loving country; aggressive competitors, a little bit chirpy." Jokes about the British and Irish Lions' eligibility haven't stuck according to laid back captain Maro Itoje, who has laughed off the expectation of more to come as the "Australian way". Ten players in Andy Farrell's squad, including Australian-born trio Finlay Bealham, Sione Tuipulotu and Mack Hansen, were born outside England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They have qualified either through family or long-term residency, with Hansen and Tuipulotu Australian under-20 teammates and Super Rugby graduates before their moves. Banter was thrown in Saturday's clash with the Western Force in Perth, with the Optus Stadium ground announcer quick to reference the tourist's foreign roots. Centre Bundee Aki and No.9 Jamison Gibson-Park were born in New Zealand but now star for Ireland and will feature in a strong Lions team against the Reds. "As long as they play a bit of Taylor Swift I'll be happy," Reds coach Les Kiss quipped when asked if he expects more jibes over the Suncorp Stadium speakers. "I don't think we'll be getting into that space." Kiss, a former Queensland and Australian rugby league winger, earnt his rugby coaching stripes in a two-decade stint that included success with the Ireland Test team as well as Irish and English clubs. "I've coached a number of those boys. Finlay Bealham was there early," Kiss said of the prop, who moved to Ireland as an 18-year-old. "It's not a light-hearted, easy thing to do. "It's an opportunity. To Mack Hansen, Bundee, I say, 'good on them'. "You get opportunities in different ways. A lot (of banter) is tongue and cheek and have a bit of fun, and that will continue. "The way Aussies like to use our humour - I think the English, Welsh, Scots and Irish, they get it." Reds and Wallabies hooker Matt Faessler agreed. "It could feel like an away game, we might need it," he laughed. "But I think Aussie fans dance on that line quite well. "When the Lions tour, new and old rugby fans come out of the works and see how good international rugby is. "There'll be a fair bit of chat if you go to Caxton Street, a bit of to-and-fro." Lions captain Itoje, who watched from the stands in Perth, is on the same page. "It's the Australian way, isn't it?" he smiled. "They love their sport. Rugby's a little different on a Lions tour. You can feel the atmosphere. It's heightened in comparison to when we were here with England. "As the tour goes on, the atmosphere will build and build and build. "It's just a sports-loving country; aggressive competitors, a little bit chirpy."
