Making his Grand Slam debut wins at senior level, Jin Woodman will lead Australia’s largest quad wheelchair singles group in Australian Open history.
Melbourne, VIC, 21 January 2025 | Jackson Mansell
At six years of age, Jin Woodman was in the stands at Melbourne Park as Dylan Alcott won his first of a record 15 Grand Slams at Australian Open 2015.
That day would inspire Woodman to chase his dreams and one day emulate the efforts of his idol.
“When I was six years old, like, my very first time coming here at the AO, I saw Dylan Alcott winning his very first Grand Slam. I said to myself, ‘I want to be on that court, get to the AO [and] represent Australia’,” he recalled.
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“After he won, I said hello, asked him for an autograph. Then he told me to ‘go for your dreams, I’ll see you in the big courts one day’. I thought it was a joke, but it actually made me believe in myself like, ‘You know what, I’ll make that commitment, I’ll see you on court’.”
At Australian Open 2025, the 15-year-old will lead Australia’s biggest representation in the Quad Wheelchair singles at Melbourne Park, joining Heath Davidson and Finn Broadbent in the draw.
On Tuesday, Woodman will face Davidson in his open-age Grand Slam debut – something that provides mixed emotions for the Victorian.
“It feels amazing considering it’s my first AO in the quads, [playing on] home soil and everything,” he said. “My family and friends are very happy for me, so I’m really nervous and excited at the same time, considering tomorrow, I’m playing against another Aussie in [front of] a big crowd on [Court 6]. So, it’s good that all of the efforts have paid off, like going international. Playing good paid off.”
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The youngster has progressed in leaps and bounds. Ranked world No.2 in boys’ competition and world No.20 in quad singles, Woodman won five quad singles titles in 2024. He also competed at the US Open Junior Wheelchair Championships.
World No.9 Heath Davidson is Australia’s highest-ranked player across all categories. The 37-year-old will be hoping to build on his quarterfinals appearance at Australian Open 2024, where he lost to Donald Ramphadi in three sets.
Wildcard Finn Broadbent rounds out the Australian quad singles field. He faces fourth seed Ahmet Kaplan in the opening round. The 23-year-old has reached new heights since their Megasaray Cup quarterfinal encounter last year.
Broadbent has since moved into the top 30 and has represented Australia at the BNP Paribas World Team Cup.
Anderson Parker headlines the men’s wheelchair singles competition. Following his most wins in a season to date in 2024, the 26-year-old will play world No.1 Tokito Oda in the first round, as he aims for his first Grand Slam victory.
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