It is not lost on Luke Saville how few have the privilege of saluting a home crowd at a home Grand Slam in their swansong appearance.
Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 20 January 2025 | Dan Imhoff
It is not lost on Luke Saville how few have the privilege of saluting a home crowd at a home Grand Slam in their swansong appearance.
For many, retirement does not arrive on their own terms. Most certainly don’t have a major tournament in their backyard.
Saville – a product of South Australia’s Riverland region – first competed at Melbourne Park on his junior debut in 2009.
He has featured in an Australian Open draw – juniors, qualifying, singles or doubles – every year since.
The competitor in Saville would have loved nothing more than to prolong his stay in his final event, the men’s doubles alongside childhood mate Li Tu, but that journey came to an end in the second round on Sunday night against Swede Andre Goransson and Dutchman Sem Verbeek 6-4 6-3.
“Pretty emotional for sure, but very, very content and just to see the people around me that have meant so much over the journey, to know that the career I’ve had has touched quite a few people,” Saville told ausopen.com.
“We always want to win for sure, even though I’m not worrying where I’m going next week in the ranking or whatever. I was playing with good freedom. It’s funny when there’s no expectations and you’re just out there playing and really enjoying it, so I enjoyed my time with Li, a great friend.
“We grew up together and that was also really cool to go out with him. We’ve known each other since we were 10.”
Following the pair’s final match together, Tu paid tribute to his fellow South Australian and the path he had forged before him.
The 28-year-old said he was honoured to have shared the court with Saville for his “last dance”.
“We all have role models growing up and honestly you were mine,” he wrote. “You were two years older and paving the way for us to follow.
“I was in awe and had the utmost respect for you. Your work ethic, your professionalism, your commitment to the sport. Whatever you did, I did. When I saw you eat Nice & Natural muesli yoghurt bars every day, I told my mum to buy them too. And when you amazingly won Wimbledon juniors, it made us all at home believe.”
The junior spoils flowed for a young Saville. No sooner was he competing for junior Slams than he helped Australia claim the Junior Davis Cup in 2009.
Following his first boys’ Slam final at Melbourne Park in 2011 he went one better at Wimbledon when he and future women’s world No.1 Ash Barty swept their respective singles events.
A maiden boys’ Australian Open title ensued six months later when Saville became the first local to triumph since Bernard Tomic four years earlier.
The transition to the professional ranks was not without its challenges, but highlights included qualifying for Wimbledon for the first time in 2014 and defeating future major winner Dominic Thiem in the first round, and reaching the Australian Open doubles final as a wildcard pairing alongside compatriot Max Purcell in 2020.
“Definitely the junior victories, the couple of [junior] Grand Slams, qualifying for Wimbledon three years in a row, then the transition to doubles later in my career and getting to No.23 in the world, playing Davis Cup for Australia, being the 113th player, and then the Tokyo Olympics,” Saville said of his career highlights.
“Representing my country is probably the thing I’m most proud of because I’m so patriotic about Australia and then a few ATP Cups as well. I think I played my best tennis in the green and gold so very happy with all of that and really I think I’ve played 17 Australian Opens.”
It was during his successful Junior Davis Cup campaign 16 years ago in Mexico that Saville first met his future wife, then Daria Gavrilova, a fellow junior world No.1. The relationship quickly blossomed.
Having grappled with competing on tours that only intermittently crossed paths ever since, Saville is looking forward to travelling more with Dasha as she continues her playing career.
An Aussie tennis power couple 💪 @Daria_gav 💙 @LukeSaville18
Sitting down with the Saville’s 👉https://t.co/Q6r3Caro4t 🎧 pic.twitter.com/c2ndWjk22G
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) November 4, 2024
“I see the game well and I’ll be a very good coach one day if it’s the avenue I want to go down whether it’s professional, or in the short term it’s going to be with Dasha a few weeks here and there in tandem with Michael Logarzo, her other coach,” he said.
“But then even to be a good influence for some of our younger juniors. I feel like it wasn’t that long ago that I was playing juniors and had a very successful junior career, and I can sort of talk them through where maybe I went wrong or didn’t succeed as well and guide them down that path.”
Saville hailed the rare opportunity of having competed with Dasha in Grand Slam mixed doubles, which they did for the last time at Melbourne Park last week.
“If you can share the court and the Oz Open with your wife it’s a pretty cool experience,” he said. “I don’t take any of this for granted and I’ll definitely go away in years to come and be like, that’s a very cool experience. Absolutely loved everything about it.”
Congratulations on a great career, @LukeSaville18 💚💛 #AO2025 pic.twitter.com/PpsDxgdS2T
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) January 19, 2025
The last couple of months since he arrived at the decision to call time on his playing days have passed with mixed emotions.
Less than a fortnight shy of his 30th birthday though, Saville is content with the call.
“I’ve been a good role model for the next generation,” he said. “That’s probably what I’m most proud of. It’s not the achievements and wins and losses but how I’ve conducted myself on the journey. Super proud to finish it. What an occasion to play on Rod Laver Arena for my last match.”
