Adam Walton: Australia’s Next Tennis Sensation

2025: Walton’s Breakthrough Season

2025 began with a loss from two sets up against Quentin Halys at the Australian Open, but Walton was unfazed. He won the Brisbane Challenger shortly after, reached the third round in Miami as a lucky loser, and post-Wimbledon has enjoyed the best stretch of his career given the level of competition. Walton thrived in Mexico, reaching the semifinals of Los Cabos (where he once again fell to Denis Shapovalov). A tough draw at ATP Toronto saw him edge Benjamin Bonzi before a narrow defeat against Alexander Zverev, and he has since put together back-to-back three-set wins on the fast courts of ATP Cincinnati. He defeated Mariano Navone in the first round, then dismantled a struggling Daniil Medvedev in the second round for perhaps the biggest win of his career, taking the third set 6-1.

Jiri Lehecka is a beatable opponent in the third round, meaning Walton could find himself having the best week of his career at the Masters 1000 level just ahead of the US Open. He was 0-11 against top-50 players before his win against Medvedev, but with steady improvements week to week, it’s entirely believable that—by building on his college experience and sharpening his shot-making—he could pull off a string of upsets at the US Open and reach the second week.

Following in the Footsteps of NCAA Greats on the ATP Tour

Despite his poor record against the game’s best, Walton has been competitive in his losses. Andrey Rublev needed two tiebreaks to beat him at Roland Garros, and he pushed Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s Club before the Spaniard’s elite game proved too much.

It’s rare to see players 25 and over make a run at the top 20, but Walton clearly has ambition, following in the footsteps of former NCAA standouts like John Isner (Georgia), Kevin Anderson (Illinois), Steve Johnson (USC), and Cameron Norrie (TCU). He is also upholding the legacy of tennis at the University of Tennessee, a program that produced Paul Annacone, fellow Australian J.P. Smith, and former top-50 player Tennys Sandgren.

Walton’s Focus: Doing the Little Things Right

Walton isn’t a particularly big hitter. His physical tools—speed, serve, and forehand—are not based on natural physical gifts, but he’s a smart player who can grind from the baseline and use a high match IQ to construct points and frustrate opponents. That’s a style Australian tennis fans in particular have loved, with Lleyton Hewitt among the most famous grinders in the sport’s history. In contrast to the mental struggles of Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic, current Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur is known for his speed but has otherwise lacked the physical tools to consistently beat elite competition.

Walton stated in a recent interview with tennis.com: “I talked to the tennis psychologist at Tennis Australia, and we went through how to stay calm during a match and trying to focus on the match as much as possible, rather than the outcome.”

A multi-sport athlete who can play cricket, golf, and more, Walton embodies the Aussie sportsman ethos. Adam Walton isn’t a flash in the pan—he’s a late developer whose college grounding, doubles instincts, and calm, tactical match play have combined into a genuine surge in performance.

With the newfound confidence from a signature win over Medvedev, and steady improvements to his game, a second-week Grand Slam run and a year-end top-50 finish feel achievable; cracking the top 20 for the first time at 26 or older would be a rare feat, but it’s a reasonable ambition if this momentum continues.