Michael Mmoh set for Grand Slam showdown with Rafael Nadal

 In ATP, ATP News

Tennis is often a sport that sees a revolving cast of talent come in, make an impression for a few years, and then fall back into relative obscurity. However, sometimes, a talent comes along that you can tell might stick around for a while to come. Rafael Nadal was such a player; even a non-fan of the sport could see that Nadal was a precocious talent. His Australian Open opponent, though, Michael Mmoh, is a little less certain. What is certain, though, is that right now he is in the moment of his career.

The World No. 177 talent takes on Nadal in Thursday, after overcoming an incredible match against Viktor Troicki. The Serb was good for two sets and was about to start serving the match for the fourth set. However, Mmoh fought back and took it to a fifth set, with Troicki beginning to turn the tide and set an exit path for the underdog. However, Mmoh continued to battle back and was able to win so in a five-set, four-hour match-up that went down as one of the best in the tournament so far this year.

At 177th place in the world, Mmoh is not expected to give Nadal much of a game. The same, though, could have been said of Troicki; after all, he is a former World No. 12 himself. Nadal, then, will need to be on his guard if he wants to make sure he isn’t caught out by a very ambitious talent.

Who is Michael Mmoh?

Mmoh is an interesting character, with one of the most diverse backgrounds you will see in modern tennis. A citizen of Australia and the United States, Mmoh also grow up in Saudi Arabia. His mother, Geraldine O’Reilly, is a nurse from Ireland who also provides him with a chance to get Australian citizenship. Meanwhile, his father is the former No. 105 Tony Mmoh, who is from Nigeria. So, it would be safe to say that Mmoh has a rather diverse upbringing!

A sports fanatic, Mmoh managed to build a love for the sporting world built on his namesake: former NBA legend Michael Jordan. Mmoh was a passionate lover of sport from a young age, and his father was able to find him either playing basketball or playing tennis into the small hours of the morning. He was a passionate lover of sport, and by age 9 he was playing in the open divisions of the men’s game in Saudi Arabia.

So, for Nadal, this is a player with a unique pedigree and a very interesting pathway to where he is in life today. While it is pretty unlikely that he will overcome the legendary Spaniard, to simply be in the position to do so would be an incredible feat for a young player who is growing and improving all the time.

While this might be the endo f his dream Grand Slam run, it is likely that we’ll see Mmoh in the future.

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