The
next Djokovic? Chung serves notice in South Korea
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[January 23, 2018]
By Melanie Burton
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - It was only last
weekend that Chung Hyeon admitted he goes largely unrecognized on
the streets of Seoul because tennis is not a high-profile sport in
South Korea.
That is changing fast, however, as the 21-year-old prepares to
become the first South Korean to play in a grand slam quarter-final
at the Australian Open on Wednesday.
Chung faces American Tennys Sandgren following his stunning upset of
Novak Djokovic, a win that catapulted him into a global stratosphere
where Asia's highest-profile names usually come from Japan and
China.
"It's massive, it's really a big thing, it's front page news on
every single Korean paper today," Chung's coach Neville Godwin said.
"I think they (Asia) have been crying out for new stars. Kei
(Nishikori) has been a flagbearer for a long time. Maybe the Koreans
and the Japanese don’t always see eye to eye... so I’m sure Korea
will be pretty happy that they now have someone to stand up against
(him)."
The bespectacled Chung, who as a child chose tennis over taekwondo
after doctors told his parents that a focus on green would improve
his eyesight, reached a career-high world number 44 in 2017 but has
since slipped to 58th.
His performance in Melbourne has eclipsed the previous best grand
slam showing of compatriot Lee Hyung-taik more than a decade ago and
Chung is being touted as the next Djokovic because of his relentless
defensive skills.
"We do play very similar," Djokovic said after losing to Chung in
the last 16.
"He definitely has the game to be a top-10 player. Obviously, I
respect him a lot because he's a hard worker, he's disciplined, he's
a nice guy, he's quiet. You can see that he cares about his career
and his performances. So I'm sure that he's going to get some really
good results in the future."
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South Korea's Chung Hyeon in action during his match against
Serbia's Novak Djokovic. REUTERS/Toru Hanai
The Korea Tennis Association is planning to pour more resources into
the country's junior league as it banks on Chung's performance to
fuel the sport's popularity and inspire the next generation of
players.
"Not only the tennis fans in Korea, but the whole nation was amazed
at his performance and it brought him to the attention of many
people," Korea Tennis Association official Hong Da Jung told
Reuters.
On paper at least, Chung has a good chance of extending his winning
streak having beaten Sandgren two weeks ago in Auckland and he is
already experiencing evidence of his higher profile with more
requests from fans for his autograph.
"In the streets, no. But in the court, maybe someone wants me to
take a picture sometimes," he said.
Chung also understands the significance of beating his idol
Djokovic, the Serbian former world number one and 12-times grand
slam champion.
"Today (is a) victory for my country, I think tennis is coming up
after tonight," he said.
(Reporting by Melanie Burton, editing by Ed Osmond)
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