Jim Courier: The Adopted Aussie

It would be hard to think about the Australian Open without Jim Courier. Having won the tournament in 1992, Jim jumped into sporting lore with his post-victory swim in the Yarra River. From that point on he forged a special bond with the AO and the people that love it so much.

He opens up on why he keeps coming back to Australia year after year, reveals the only player he gets nervous talking to, and doesn’t miss when speaking passionately about key issues in tennis, including a former world number one.

The Moment:
It was one of the most amazing sporting moments the world has seen. In 1995, Jim Courier took on friend Pat Sampras in the Australian Open semi-final. Sampras was visibly hurting, but no one in the crowd, commentary box, or at home watching knew what was wrong.

Courier explains why he broke a rule the night before the match, and what made him yell out to Pete mid-match to stop and continue the following day — a moment that inevitably cost him the game.

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