Dano makes the main draw

Dane Sweeny never really considered that it might not happen. That's just who he is. He carries himself like someone who belongs at the top, even when the scoreboard is trying to tell him otherwise. And last week at Roehampton, he proved it on one of the biggest stages in qualifying tennis.

He spent nearly four hours in 35-degree heat, fought through five sets against Tomas Barrios Vera, somehow found another gear when the Chilean had broken him down to 0-6 in the fourth, and came out the other side 4-6, 6-4, 7-6, 0-6, 6-2. It's the kind of match that reveals character more than ranking. Sweeny has both.

Now he's in the main draw of Wimbledon for the first time in his career.

A few months ago he beat Gael Monfils at the Australian Open for his first ever Grand Slam match win and made the second round at Melbourne Park. Since then he's reached a career-high ranking of 126, made the semifinals of the grasscourt Ilkley Trophy in England, and built the kind of momentum that earns you a shot at the biggest stages in the sport. Watching it happen up close has been something else.

The draw has given him Grigor Dimitrov in round one - the Bulgarian former semifinalist returning to the All England Club as a wildcard after a devastating injury last year cut short what could have been a landmark run. Dimitrov on grass, at Wimbledon, is never a straightforward afternoon. But Sweeny isn't here to make up the numbers.

"I think I showed I had the level a few weeks ago in Ilkley and I've been playing really good," he said after qualifying. "To be able to now have an opportunity to compete against the world's best on the biggest stage, I'm really excited - and I think I deserve it after three really tough matches in qualifying."

Hard to argue.

The Wrold Cup, pfffft, Sweeny vs Dimitrov, Wimbledon first round. On either 9Now or Stan sport at around 10pm AEST.


Lets go Dano!