Lara, Rafa influence rise of Jeremy Miller
Published:Sunday | August 13, 2023 | 12:11 AMOrane Buchanan - Staff Reporter
JEREMY MILLER, who has been creating waves in Jamaica’s tennis circles, first came to the sport via his stepfather, using steady practice and competition to hone not just his skill but his love for the game.
“I initially started playing tennis at around age five and it was my stepfather who got me into the sport. I kind of fell in love with tennis as I got older, during my teenage years, at around 12 or 13 years old,” Miller recalled.
Miller, earlier this year, won the Inaugural Innovative Invitational Amateur Tennis Classic at the Liguanea Tennis Club, with a 2-1 set victory over David Goldsmith.
While his stepfather was the person who drove his love for the sport, multiple Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal serves as his inspiration.
“I pattern my game off of 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 top spin he puts on the ball and the way he does his forehand and bends the ball from outside to inside of the court,” said Miller.
Miller added that the Spaniard would definitely be one of the players on the international circuit that he would fancy having a go at.
“Definitely Rafa, 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 ever get to share the court with him,” he shared.
Miller’s interest doesn’t just lie in tennis, though, the amateur tennis player also looking up to the batting of Brian Lara.
“The sport that I loved first was actually cricket. I’m a big West Indies fan, even though they’re not doing so great. But, definitely, if it wasn’t tennis, it would have been cricket and I’m also a big Brian Lara fan,” he said.