The
Rising Star from Korea
HYEON CHUNG
PRIYANSH
Photo: Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA, Inc
I
n 2014, Hyeon Chung was unsure of his tennis career. Facing a 21-month military service by law in South Korea, Hyeon Chung and his doubles partner Yong-kyu Lim prepared for the Asian Games in Incheon knowing pretty well that their fate would be determined by the doubles tournament. In the semis, the Korean duo played India’s Yuki Bhambri and Divij Sharan. The Indian pair won the first set 10-8 in the tiebreak. The second set went the distance too, the Korean team just about holding on for an 8-6 score to take the match into a super tiebreak. The contest kept swinging from one side to another but somehow, Chung and Lim grabbed an 11-9 win in the super tiebreak. 30
Their story did not end there. In the final, the Koreans won a tight straight sets match over another Indian duo of Saketh Myneni and Sanam Singh. The gold medal win meant that both Chung and Lim were exempted from the military service and could go on to pursue their tennis careers. Chung has certainly made the most of this opportunity. As of the week starting April 23, 2018, the 21-yearold from Suwon is ranked 19 in the Association of Tennis Players (ATP) rankings. With Kei Nishikori still recovering from poor form and injuries, Chung is the top ranked Asian male on the circuit. But the struggle of 2014 is not very far away from his thoughts. Speaking at the Australian Open,
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Chung recalled, “We saved like four match points in the semifinals. If I lose that match, maybe I am not here now. I would have to go to the army.” He now belongs to a different kind of battle. The Australian Open earlier this year represented the most stunning success till now for the Korean. Unseeded, Chung went on to become the first from his country to play a Grand Slam semifinal. He overcame three seeds – Mischa Zverev, the German’s younger and more illustrious brother Alexander Zverev, and Novak Djokovic. But it was not merely his success, but also Chung’s humble manner which attracted crowds in Melbourne. The Korean’s biggest win was his
