Sam Groth said that he has come a long way since he grew up in the small town of Narrandera in New South Whales.
The 27-year-old has reached the third round of the Australian Open where he will face fellow Australian Bernard Tomic. The two are both giants well over 6'3'', but Tomic has the ranking edge at No. 66. Currently ranked No. 82, the big serving Groth said that he’s made progress.
"It's a fair way from the grass courts of Corowa and Albury," he said. "I'm a country boy. I always wanted to play on the big courts. That was my dream. Now I'm living that dream."
At an ATP Challenger Tour event in May 2012, Groth hit the fastest serve on record at 163.4 mph. But he only cracked the Top 100 last September.
He said that he has finally become smarter, which showed when he beat 18-year-old Thanasi Kokkinakis in five sets in the second round. "The old Sam probably would have lost the plot," he said. "I did a bit of racquet throwing. I bounced back, played well in the second set, and went up two sets to one. The old Sam probably would have lost that fourth set and gone home. Same thing. I fought back in the fifth set. I feel like my emotional control is a massive part of my game that I improved, especially the way I was able to finish in the fifth."