Forget extravagant purchases like diamonds or luxury sports cars. Australian tennis professional Maddison Inglis has revealed surprisingly modest plans for her life-changing Australian Open prize money, including buying a new blue toaster and potentially a matching kettle.
A Memorable Australian Open Campaign
Inglis was the final Australian competitor remaining in the women's singles draw before her tournament concluded with a defeat to world number two Iga Swiatek. The match ended with scores of 6-0, 6-3 on Monday night at Melbourne Park.
The West Australian athlete created a memorable moment during the contest when she finally got on the scoreboard, breaking Swiatek's serve to take a 1-0 lead in the second set. She raised her arms triumphantly, celebrating with the enthusiastic Rod Laver Arena crowd.
Embracing the Experience
"It's not every day you get to play on Rod Laver, so I was, like, let's get the crowd involved and just kind of enjoy it," Inglis explained after the match.
"I could go the other way and just mope around like I lost the first 6-0, but yeah, I just wanted to enjoy it and try and keep the spirits up."
Making her way through qualifying rounds all the way to the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time represented a significant career milestone for the 28-year-old player.
Mixed Emotions After Career-Best Performance
While disappointed she couldn't create a closer contest against the Polish powerhouse, Inglis expressed pride in her performance and effort throughout the tournament.
"I thought I did my absolute best out there and I gave it everything," she stated. "So I am disappointed, but also proud of that."
"Even though today didn't go like I had planned, it was an incredible two weeks - pretty life-changing for me with the best result of my career. I'm looking forward to taking it into the rest of the year."
Practical Plans for Prize Money
The prize money for her fourth-round exit amounts to $480,000, providing a substantial boost to her career earnings which now total approximately $2 million. Despite this financial windfall, Inglis maintains a grounded perspective on how she'll use the funds.
"It's a lot of money, it's pretty cool, and I'll definitely use a lot of it to invest back into my tennis and have some people on the road with me to support me and make some weeks a bit easier with family or friends, because it's a long year," she explained.
The engaged athlete, who is set to marry fellow Australian tennis professional Jason Kubler, added: "I love shopping, so I'm sure I'll buy something nice. I've wanted a Smeg toaster for so long so I think that's going to be my treat, and maybe the kettle, too."
Rankings Surge and Future Tournament Plans
Inglis is poised for a significant rankings improvement, climbing from 168 to 113 in the world rankings. This advancement opens up more tournament opportunities for the Gold Coast resident.
While she has entered some upcoming tournaments in Brisbane, her successful Australian Open run may necessitate a reconsideration of her competition schedule.
"I'm pretty tired at the moment as it's been a big couple of weeks, mentally and physically and I've got a couple niggles," Inglis admitted.
"But I think with the points that come on, maybe my schedule will change a little bit. I hadn't really thought about Indian Wells and Miami, but maybe now I might be in them, which is really cool."
Looking ahead, she added: "That jump from 113 to 100 is still a long way but I'll keep going. I'll have a little break now, but I'm keen to get back into it and keep rising."
