“There were definitely times over the last few years when I thought maybe I'd never play tennis again, let alone the Australian Open.”
— James Duckworth, 16 Dec 2018
» Emotional Duckworth secures Australian Open wildcard
On court
- Took up tennis aged seven and his whole family, including father, David, sister, Kate, and brother, Nick, all play
- His grandmother, Beryl Penrose, won the Australian Open singles and doubles in 1955
- Member of the Australia’s Junior Davis Cup team, that competed in the finals in Mexico in 2008
- In 2010, reached the Roland Garros junior semifinals and Australian Open junior quarterfinals
- Secured his maiden ITF Futures title in Poland in 2011
- Won his first ATP World Tour match at the 2012 Brisbane International, beating Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in round one
- Made his Grand Slam debut at Australian Open 2012, reaching the second round.
- Came through qualifying round to reach main draw at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon in back-to-back years (2013 and 2014)
- Cracked ATP top 100 on 23 March 2015
- Goal is to reach the highest level in the sport, following in the footsteps of his hero, Andy Murray, who he says “is an extremely clever tennis player with a vast amount of talent to back it up”. Other idols are Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter
- Dreams of representing Australia in Davis Cup
- Favourite surface is fast clay, favourite shot is the serve and favourite tournament is the Australian Open
- Best memory in tennis so far is playing Junior Davis Cup for Australia
Off court
- Nickname is ‘Ducks’.
- Studying a commerce degree at Deakin University.
- Hobbies include surfing, table tennis, cricket, soccer and hanging with his mates.
- If he weren’t a tennis player he would be a rugby league player for Newcastle Knights.
- His family supports the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Year-end singles ranking history
| 2018 | 245 |
| 2017 | 979 |
| 2016 | 103 |
| 2015 | 120 |
| 2014 | 127 |
| 2013 | 136 |
| 2012 | 209 |
| 2011 | 274 |
| 2010 | 755 |
| 2009 | 1711 |
Titles/Finals
Titles
2019 Bangkok Challenger
2018 Cary Challenger
2016 China F6 ITF, Bangkok Challenger, Canberra Challenger, Toyota Challenger
2014 Lexington Challenger, Charlottesville Challenger
2013 Bundaberg F5 ITF, Chile F3 ITF
2011 Poland F1 ITF, Poland F4 ITF, Italy F17 ITF, Italy F23 ITF
Finals
2018 Turkey F22 ITF
2016 Kobe Challenger
2015 Kolkata Challenger
2014 Santiago Challenger
2013 Melbourne F1 ITF, Lexington Challenger
2011 Poland F2 ITF, Italy F16 ITF
James Duckworth in the news
Kubler wins, Kokkinakis withdraws in Paris
21 May, 2019
Jason Kubler wins his opening match in French Open qualifying but injury forces Thanasi Kokkinakis to withdraw.
Read moreJason Kubler wins his opening match in French Open qualifying but injury forces Thanasi Kokkinakis to withdraw.
Aussies ready as Roland Garros qualifying begins
20 May, 2019
Five Australian men are competing in Roland Garros qualifying, with four set to start their campaigns on Monday.
Read moreFive Australian men are competing in Roland Garros qualifying, with four set to start their campaigns on Monday.
Biggest movers: Sharma makes top 100 debut
23 April, 2019
Australia now has five women ranked inside the top 100 in singles, with Astra Sharma making her debut this week.
Read moreAustralia now has five women ranked inside the top 100 in singles, with Astra Sharma making her debut this week.
Biggest movers: Barty in top 10, gains for Stosur, Thompson
2 April, 2019
In the week that Ash Barty cracked the world's top 10, there were also significant improvements in the rankings for fellow Aussies Sam Stosur and Jordan Thompson after good…
Read moreIn the week that Ash Barty cracked the world's top 10, there were also significant improvements in the rankings for fellow Aussies Sam Stosur and Jordan Thompson after good…
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