More than 40 nations will be represented at the Australian Open, which begins Monday, more evidence of how truly global tennis has become.
But one nation that prides itself on its sporting prowess will again be absent. Since tennis entered the professional era in 1968, only six Irishmen and two Irishwomen have made it to the main draw of a Grand Slam event. Only one man — Louk Sorensen at the 2010 Australian Open — has won a Grand Slam singles match. Of the two Irishwomen to win at a major, the more recent was in 1976.
James McGee, who at No.