Australian Open: Storm Hunter’s rise from Parkdale ‘trenches’ to Rod Laver Arena lights

It was in the outer bayside suburb back in 2018 that Hunter, then still Storm Sanders, was paid $40- $50 an hour to coach juniors as young as seven or eight during a health-enforced break from the sport that her coach Nicole Pratt feared might become permanent.

The relocated West Australian was working a couple of days a week for a term or two; employed by local coach and former world No.615 Michael Logarzo while unable to play due to a shoulder injury and later to be diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder, but needing to pay the bills to supplement partner – now husband – Loughlin’s income from his office job.

“I don’t think they realised who it was coaching them. You’d say, ‘OK, this is Storm, she’s a professional tennis player, she’s gonna take you’, and the kids were like ‘Whatever’,’’ Logarzo tells CODE Sports.

“They were total beginners. They weren’t high level players, so she would have had to teach them basic techniques, and it would be interesting for someone who’s playing professionally, to come back to that level.

“I know a lot of my other players struggled to work with the beginners. They’d much rather work with the better ones. But, no, Storm was in the trenches, doing the dirty work. En-tout-cas. Summer. Dry. I’m talking trenches.’’

During the current grand slam fortnight, the TVs are on at Logarzo’s academies in Parkdale and Chadstone, and he believes a few of those kids still playing will recall that nice coach who worked so patiently and positively with them five years ago.

‘They’ll be looking. They’ll know. People do ask ‘How’s Storm going? I remember she coached here’,’’ Logarzo says.

“We’ve had coaches come and go, but even though she was there a short time, certain people leave an impact, just by their presence and personality and that sort of stuff, and she’s been one of those people.’’

Having made her Australian Open debut back in 2014, but only this week won her first main draw singles match, against former top-fiver Sara Errani, the world No.180 in singles — and No.1 in doubles — added a second scalp in German Laura Siegemund and will now play the ninth-seeded Krejcikova and follow 10-time champion Novak Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena. Not bad at all for a 29-year-old qualifier.

An already guaranteed $225,000 will jump to $375,000 if Hunter wins that one, plus doubles and mixed to come, and the 240 rankings points would carry her from around 120th currently to the cusp of the top 100 for the first time.

Beats 50 bucks an hour, too.

*****

It was a tough year for Hunter, 2018. A difficult conversation was required with Pratt, who had first seen her as a 17-year-old in Perth when with Alicia Molik at the Hopman Cup.

The determined left-handed kid was out hitting in the heat of the day.

Pratt noticed.

When school went back, young Storm would make the two-hour return train trip to training not just every morning but every afternoon as well, and go to school in between.

Pratt approved.

“She clearly wanted it, and I think that type of character is why we’re seeing her do what she’s doing now, to be honest,’’ says Pratt, former top 40 player and Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup coach.

“She was just tenacious and I liked her aggressiveness. She didn’t hold back, even when I saw her then she was just prepared to take on the shot. Obviously at that stage she was missing a lot, she wasn’t one of Australia’s top juniors, but I got to know her and her background and I thought ‘You know what, there’s something special about this one’.’’

Took time, though. A long time, and the body meant that crunch time came when the shoulder injury that added to back, ankle, hamstring and other injuries meant that Tennis Australia’s support was no longer guaranteed for Sanders, then still just 24.

“Honestly, I thought maybe that might be it. Storm just kept getting these random, injuries. Like, it was almost unexplainable, and it just kept happening time and time again,’’ says Pratt.

“One of the toughest things — for me, anyway, at the time — was I was head of women’s tennis and having to say ‘Listen, Storm, we almost can’t continue to give you the same level of support we’ve given you, even in terms of physiotherapists and strength and conditioning, you probably need to start to course a few things externally yourself’. So that was obviously a really tough conversation.

“But again it’s testament to her desire. She did what was required. She couldn’t play, she went and got a coaching qualification and then was coaching to make ends meet, really.’’

Not just at Parkdale but posh Wesley College, while also coding match stats at the 2019 Australian Open, before returning to the tour with just $1000 in the bank. While Pratt continued to do whatever possible, Hunter tried to heal physically and started what is now still monthly medication to manage her ankylosing spondylitis.

“And of course I’d get out there (on court) any time I could,’’ says Pratt. “Cos I’ve always believed in her and I always will.

“I always used to say to people ‘I have no doubt that Storm is going to be successful with her tennis. But what I doubt is whether her body can handle the load required’. It wasn’t will, her desire, her commitment. None of that was questionable.

“It was just whether the body would co-operate. So there’s still lots of things that have to be managed … but the good thing is she does know her body so well now that she knows when to push it and when not to push it.’’

No wonder it was a misty-eyed moment for many during the on-court interview after the Siegemund match, as Hunter paid tribute to those that have been with her the whole way.

“Very emotional,’’ says Pratt. “It’s not every day a player says those words about a coach and when it’s you it’s quite humbling, but it’s been a journey.

“It’s been 12 years, working with Storm, on and off, all the challenges, all the barriers. Up until the first round she’d never won a match at the Australian Open in the main draw.

“I mean, I was emotional at the end of last year. Finishing No.1 in the world in doubles, what an incredible achievement, and this January I really made a commitment to make sure I’d be there for her through it. And then to see the result, yeah, it’s fabulous.’’

Pratt will take a semi-sabbatical in 2024 from her other post leading Tennis Australia’s Women in Coaching program in order to combine her 10 weeks on the road as BJK Cup coach with a more personal role with Hunter.

She recognised the strength of character all those years ago. As both have stayed the course.

“I definitely didn’t think it would take 12 years. If the body had have co-operated, I honestly believe this would have been happening when she was 22, 23.’’

*****

Two states and roughly 1700km north of Parkdale, a close friend of Hunter’s retreated voluntarily from the tour late in 2014 and spent time coaching for not-much-an-hour at the West Brisbane Tennis Club.

Her name: Ash Barty. Could also play a bit.

Barty’s childhood coach Jim Joyce employed her, reluctantly, and told this reporter after her stupendous return that he gave her every “awful” job, he could think of, from the old gals to the juniors on the end court, while hoping desperately that the mundanity and drudgery of helping the mid-week ladies would eventually wear off.

It was not like that for Sanders, who desperately wanted to play, and excelled first on the doubles court, and in the team environment of the Billie Jean King Cup. A brilliant 2023 partnership with Elise Mertens will pivot to a new one this year and an Australian Open with Czech Katerina Siniakova, who formerly collaborated with Krejcikova in a pairing that shared seven major doubles titles and Olympic gold.

But an off-season emphasis on singles has led to a new season breakthrough, already, and Pratt spent Thursday afternoon plotting tactics against the 11th-ranked Krejcikova, who the Australian rates as one of the world’s best returners.

Hunter will need to serve well, having improved on her speed and accuracy, Pratt says, and to return effectively, which has always been a strength.

“The fact that Storm’s a lefty is a point of difference, so she needs to try to put Barbora in some uncomfortable situations out there,’’ says Pratt, who says a third-round win would be less about getting to the fourth round than a double-figure ranking which would open grand slam main draw and other doors.

“Another win for her would be very meaningful in terms of setting up the schedule, particularly the first six months of the year. If anything we had discussions that we weren’t really looking to make a real push until probably after Wimbledon because she’s playing with Kat and they’re a new partnership and she really wants to consolidate and do well in the first six months of the year in doubles.

“So (it will) be a good problem to have if we’ve got readjust that. Put it that the way.’’

*****

Meanwhile, back in Melbourne’s bayside lounge-rooms, there might be a flash of recognition on Friday night among the now-teenagers who had lessons in the back corner court at dusty Parkdale a handful of years ago.

That’s if they’re up late enough to watch the Aussie who walks out onto Rod Laver Arena once Djokovic and 30th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry are done.

“When they see her on TV or they see her name, they start to say, ‘Oh wow. I got coached by her’, and they start to get a bit of a kick out of it, right?’ says Logarzo.

“I don’t think the kids realised who was coaching them, and to see where she’s got to now, from there. Awesome. Honestly, everyone loved her cos she’s so nice.

“You just need a little bit of purpose and direction sometimes when you don’t know if you can get back, and Storm was a bit like that I think at the time. She wasn’t sure where things were gonna go.

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“Now I think back I’m ‘Oh, wow, she’s come a long way. It’s pretty good!’. I’m gonna take some credit that her coaching has allowed her to be more relaxed on the court.’ It’s good. You want people like that to do well.’’

Logarzo, whose charge Zoe Hives has also been battling long-term illness and will coach at Parkdale for the next six months before hopefully beginning a comeback of her own, believes the Krejcikova match-up is a good one for Hunter.

“One thing Storm does really well is she doesn’t hold back. She will go after it, she will hold court position. She won’t be intimidated. And she’s got to play to her strengths. Use the crowd, and keep riding the wave. She’s got this momentum going at the moment — just keep going for it.’’