18 November 2016 | Tennis Queensland

It’s an optimistic Blake Ellis speaking from his hospital bed at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Melbourne.

The 17-year-old has just undergone hip surgery, after having an awkward feeling on court two months ago.

“I was playing in the first round of the Brisbane futures event in September and noticed a sharp pain on a few end-range shots. I saw the Tennis Australia physio directly after the match who suggested I get an MRI scan,” said Ellis.

The results lead Ellis to an orthopedic surgeon in Melbourne, who told the teenager if he wanted to play pain free, he’d have to undergo surgery and rest.

“I’ll take a bit of time to just relax and rest up before beginning my rehab with the physios and trainers at Tennis Australia. Fortunately, the recovery time is only about 3 months so I will be back on court shortly after the Australian summer,” he said.

Unfortunately for the 17-year-old, the surgery means he will miss his favourite Slam of the year, the Australian Open.

“The plan is to play a few junior tournaments leading up to the French Open and Wimbledon and hopefully get my ranking back to where it needs to be to compete in those tournaments. I will most likely be playing a mix of both junior and pro tournaments with the aim to better my ATP ranking as well,” he said.

2016 was a break through year for Ellis; he won the Australian Open Boys Doubles final, made the semi-finals of the Junior French Open Doubles, and the quarter-finals of the Junior Wimbledon Doubles.

“For me, the standout to 2016 would have to be winning the Australian Open Junior Boys Doubles Title with my good mate Alex De Minaur. To be able to win such a big event and in my home country was a real highlight to my 2016. Also, being able to experience the three other Junior Grand Slam events was an amazing opportunity for me and to play against the world’s best,” said Ellis.

This week, Ellis was announced as a finalist in the Male Junior Athlete of the Year award at the Newcombe Medal, which is held in Melbourne on the 28th of November.