Minnesota teen at Australian Open wins juniors double grand slam title
SAVAGE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A teenager from Savage, along with his partner, won the juniors double grand slam title at the Australian Open.
Maxwell Exsted, 16 of Savage, and his partner Cooper Woestendick won the title on Friday. Exsted told FOX 9 he felt confident going into the final match, but it was an unreal experience.
"Definitely nervous because, I mean, there was a ton of people watching … it's a grand slam final. It is juniors, but you still, when you're younger you dream about playing at the Australian Open, playing all the slams and being in this position. It's a big deal," Exsted told FOX 9.
Exsted said he first picked up a tennis racket when he was 1 year old, and won his first tournament in Chicago when he was just 4 years old. Now, 12 years later, he has just won one of the sport's biggest titles.
Maxwell Exsted of the United States returns a shot against Hayden Jones of Australia during their Junior Boys Singles First Round match on Day Seven of the 2023 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 03, 2023 in the
Exted described the experience, saying "Definitely a ton of energy, you can feel the buzz in there. It was pretty loud actually because it was like a stadium, so the sounds echo. There's also some, like, drunk fans, which you can hear, which was a little funny, got me off my focus a little bit, but it was good, loosened me up a little bit. It was definitely an unbelievable atmosphere."
Exsted said he's coming back to the United States on Sunday. He plans to train for a while before heading to Brazil and Paraguay for tournaments.