Melbourne, Australia, 15 January 2025 | Sean A'Hearn

James McCabe hasn’t had a conventional path to the Australian Open.

Born in the Philippines to a Filipina mother and Irish father, and moving to Sydney when he was two months old, McCabe has lived in Australia for most of his life.

He grew up in an apartment complex that had a swimming pool and a tennis court; the softly spoken but thoughtful Aussie said tennis came naturally to him from a young age.

“When I was two, Dad took me down to the tennis court. I hit a few balls, and I could rally when I was two-and-a-half,” he says.

McCabe was also a gifted swimmer.

“Dad [also] took me to swim. I won swimming nationals and tennis nationals, and then when I won swimming nationals, I got a full scholarship into a private school,” the Sydneysider says.

Coming from many with a natural gift, this could come across as arrogant, but McCabe has a humble, almost spiritual aura about him.

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Aside from his penchant for tennis and swimming, the 21-year-old has another talent, one possibly more unexpected in an athlete at this level.

“When I was in Year 6, I ended up picking up the flute – piano I picked up a few years earlier, just because I wanted to play,” he says.

“Learning how to play the flute from scratch was definitely difficult. A few years in I started playing in orchestras and symphonic wind bands, academy orchestras, sang in choirs. It was a bit tough when I was swimming.”

Not afraid to pause and think through his answers, McCabe details his rigorous daily routine at school, which was driven by his dad who encouraged him to prioritise his education and finish school.

“I’d wake up at 4.00 am for a 5.00 am swimming start to [finishing] around 7.00 am. From 7.00 am to 8.30 am, it would probably be orchestra, depending on the day, [then] choir, academy orchestra, or symphonic wind band,” he recalls.

McCabe then reels off the rest of his school day, which is too detailed to relay here. Suffice it to say, the young Aussie’s schooling consisted of long days combining music, tennis, swimming and, of course, schoolwork.

Getting home at 9.30 pm most nights before getting homework done – whatever he could get through – the routine would start again at 4.00 am the next day.

Gruelling to say the least, but McCabe claims it shaped him into the person he is today.

“Childhood was quite tough,” he admits with a smile.

“But I got through it, and I think it definitely builds character and builds strength. I was a kid. I’m not saying I’m much older now. I didn’t know anything else. I didn’t know what anyone else was doing. That was my life.”

So how did tennis come into the picture? Picking the racquets back up at 15 – having dropped them at 10 years old to focus on swimming and music for a full scholarship – McCabe found quick success.

“I won December Showdown and School Boy Nationals in singles and doubles for Australian Nationals. And then the School Boys Nationals, I won in individual,” he explains.

Putting tennis aside to focus on school, McCabe finished his education at the end of the pandemic, and, despite getting “really chubby”, picked up where he left off with his professional tennis career.

Winning his first Grand Slam match – his first at ATP Tour level – on Monday against talented young Spaniard Martin Landeluce in the first round of the Australian Open, McCabe has officially arrived on the world stage.

Despite such a breakthrough moment, the young Aussie remains grounded and is taking everything in his stride.

“Everything so far the last two years has just been a learning experience from travelling and you just don’t know what to expect until you do it,” he says.

“Getting the opportunity, especially last year, which I’m very grateful for, I was a bit inexperienced, but I think now I’m a bit better at handling things and going through certain situations.”

With a maturity that belies his young age and the talent to match, McCabe is destined for great things, tennis or otherwise.

Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to hit the court and have some fun!