Tennis star John Millman loses thousands in toughest match yet - before host reveals surprise twist
Tennis legend John Millman was just one push away from scoring an incredible $40,000 for his chosen charity in honour of a close friend on Tipping Point Australia.
John was one of three Aussie tennis legends known for their highs on the court, who swapped balls for counters as they dueled for their favourite causes in a special episode.
Watch the new season of Tipping Point Australia for free on 9Now.
John was playing for the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation in honour of renowned tennis coach Anthony Richardson, who died at age 43 after a lengthy battle with melanoma.
"He had such a positive impact on the Queensland tennis community. We miss him dearly, and so I'm playing for Richo today," John said.
John chose his charity in honour of tennis coach Anthony Richardson. Nine
After three exciting sets, John made his way to the Jackpot round over Sam Stosor, who walked away with $2,500 for My Room Children's Cancer Charity, and Dylan Alcott, who earned an impressive $11,100 for his own Foundation.
With an incredible $11,700 already in the bank, host Todd Woodbridge offered John the ultimate temptation.
In fact, it was a record offer: if he gave up his bank, he would get six counters for an increased Jackpot of $40,000.
Todd offered a very tempting Temptation. Nine
"Somewhat like a game of tennis, when you miss your first serve you get a second serve, and that's exactly what Jackpot Temptation is for you today," Todd said.
John was torn.
"The decision is a little bit tougher because it's not my money and I desperately want to go home with something for such a worthy cause," he admitted.
But after further contemplation, the chance at $40,000 was too good to pass up.
However, the machine had different ideas. After five unsuccessful attempts, John had just one more chance to score the cash.
Safe to say, John was stressed. Nine
He held his breath as he lit up Drop Zone 1.
"I feel sooo bad," he reacted as the counter yet again failed to fall in his favour.
Catch the heart-stopping moment in the video below:
"You're upset by it," the host reacted.
"Yeah I am. It's a great cause, you know? And oh geez, I had that money to begin with so yeah, I feel terrible," John replied.
But all was not as lost as he thought, as Todd revealed a surprise twist.
"Well don't feel so bad, because I'm gonna give you $11,700 anyway!" he shared.
Phew! Nine
John couldn't help but whip his brow with relief as he gave the host a big thank you hug.
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"I hate to put you through that. Unfortunately the machine was the one in control, you did everything you could," Todd replied.
It turned out to be one of the toughest matches of John's career, but all worked out as he walked away with an impressive amount of cash for a cause close to his heart.
Catch the heart-warming moment in the video above.
This isn't the first time a contestant has risked everything to win big. Catch those incredible moments here:
Watch the new season of Tipping Point Australia for free on 9Now.