Serving Into Greener Pastures - Can The Aussies Make Their Mark at The ATP World Tour?

With the red dirt of Paris marking the end of the clay season, the Aussies hit the more familiar green stuff last week, with six men turning up to events across Europe to ply their trade on grass – in preparation for a Wimbledon tilt less than a fortnight away.

It's can be a more successful time of year, with our men enjoying the traditional Aussie surface upon which grass court gurus like Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Tony Roche and Pat Rafter have trodden before them.

Still riding high after tasting a first win at Roland Garros, 22-year-old Jordan Thompson stole the spotlight. Seeded second at an ATP Challenger event in Surbiton, England, he made an impressive run to the semifinal – which included a win over countryman John-Patrick Smith – before being stopped by eventual champion, Taiwanese veteran Yen-Hsun 'Rendy' Lu, in a deciding set tiebreak.

Lu, a former world No.33, also dispatched Luke Saville in the quarterfinal, but the South Australian enjoyed a solid week, telling VICE he was happy with the result.

"I played two fairly good matches here but I know there is still room to improve before Wimbledon," he said. "I'm going to try and get a little better each day.

"My grass preparation has been pretty good this year. I always feel very comfortable on grass and it's where my best results have come, so it gives me a lot of confidence."

Saville was the junior Wimbledon champ in 2011 and also beat current world No.7 Dominic Thiem in the first round at SW19 in 2014. His run to the main draw last year was one of the feel-good stories of the tournament.

After a string of disappointing results, largely due to niggling injury, big-serving Aussie Sam Groth appeared very comfortable back on the grass, competing in an ATP250 event in Stuttgart, but after a first-up win he fell to Thiem, despite taking the young Austrian to two tight tiebreaks.

Video Credit : krabber negen

Video Credit : PavlikTNS

Thiem went on to prove his versatility after his Grand Slam semifinal debut on clay, upsetting Roger Federer on his way to the title.

Queenslander John Millman also posted a first round win in Stuttgart, but couldn't get past eventual semifinalist Juan Martin Del Potro.

Ever the contrarian, Bernard Tomic displayed a penchant for Dutch grass, choosing an ATP250 in s-Hertogenbosch. Seeded second, he cruised to the quarterfinals before meeting specialist grasscourter Nicolas Mahut. The Frenchman exceled, rallying from a one-set deficit to take Bernie down and go on to capture his third title at the event.

Following the shenanigans surrounding his Olympic withdrawal, Nick Kyrgios cooled his heels after Paris, but will be in action this week after drawing Milos Raonic in the first round of the Aegon Championships at The Queen's Club in London.

The marquee match-up pits Kyrgios against the third-seeded Canadian in a rematch of their Wimbledon encounters over the past two years which have seen them split the honours one apiece. To up the ante, it will also be Raonic's first outing with new coaching addition, John McEnroe. The three-time Wimbledon champion has taken the gig on a short term basis over the grass season.

Video Credit : ATPWorldTour

Unfortunately for Aussie hopes, Thanasi Kokkinakis – who was handed a wildcard – has been forced to withdraw from the tournament as he continues his slow recovery from shoulder issues, a decision which will also see him miss Wimbledon.