"The game must have finished around a quarter-to-three, around pack-up time. I could feel the thing buzzing in my pocket. But I knew I had to get grass for the cows," Ron said. "That was a must. I didn’t want them jumping fences. They have been known to cause a few traffic jams. "People were coming here at 4pm and I knew I had to buy grass. I got them fed." Loading They don't like to let anyone down, the Millmans, even the three bovines that were rescued by one of John's sisters that have now become family pets. At least they had full stomachs and a sleep. While John finished at 1am against Federer on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Ron and wife Shona were up until 2am back in Brisbane finishing their final media commitments. After two hours of sleep, cars and crews were back outside at 4am on Wednesday.

"I didn’t know what the hell I was doing," Ron said of his full book of print, radio and television interviews. "But you want to do the right thing for John. It’s special." Millman's victory over Federer not only staggered the tennis world, it served as just reward for a journeyman who was due some good fortune. Maybe this was the tennis universe repaying Millman, widely known as the nicest guy on tour, for the generosity he's dished out over the past decade. Better late than never: John Millman is enjoying a much deserved moment in the spotlight. Credit:EPA "It’s nice. He has all of these people the he’s been nice to... I guess it comes around," Ron said. Ron took the day off on Wednesday to recover from a night where he became the most popular sporting dad in the nation. He was in the midst of a milk run to the shops when he spoke to Fairfax Media, although he will be back at work for the quarter-final against Novak Djokovic.

There's no rest for the man John calls 'The Fox', a veteran educator who has watched his son's tennis dream go from being on life support amidst a run of career-threatening injuries to centre stage at a grand slam event. “Apparently, he’s got a week of work,” Millman said after his match. “He still teaches to fund my sister’s hobby farm. So ‘The Fox’ is at home right now but I’m sure he’ll be watching on. I love my parents to death. ‘The Fox’ will be cheering me on from home.” Millman was celebrated as much for the way he reacted to the win as much as the manner of the victory, which was rock solid, for the record, and he should give Djokovic more trouble than most believe. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Ron said Millman's humility probably came from being relentlessly teased by his older sisters. Having learned to lose graciously at an early age, Millman never forgot his lessons once he got around to winning.

"He’s always been competitive. And I think that’s because he had three older sisters that teased the crap out of him," Ron said. "All the things I did wrong, I tried to make sure he did correctly. My dad died when I was young, so I got away with a fair bit from my mum. She had eight kids. I just wanted my kids to do the best they could possibly do and give them the best opportunities. That was it." Loading As Millman has grafted away on the tennis circuit over the years, fame may have eluded him but he collected his loyal supporters along the way. He's big (ish) in Japan, apparently, and Ron said the victory was a reward for all of those who have ridden the highs and lows of his often difficult sporting career. "You kind of think nobody follows him. He has no profile, really. But there are so many people that always get in touch when they see John do well.