Chung Hyeon jumps to world No. 52 in 2015
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Chung Hyeon hits a return to James Duckworth of Australia during their match on the second day of the 2015 U.S. Open at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, on Sept. 1. / EPA-Yonhap
By Kwon Ji-youn
A somewhat newer name made it into top sports headlines this year to write history in Korean tennis. Teen sensation Chung Hyeon went from 173rd to 52nd in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world singles rankings, with four ATP Challenger trophies and a valuable main-draw win at the Wimbledon Championships.
“It has been an awesome year,” Chung said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. “I played well and the results that followed definitely exceeded my expectations.”
Chung is currently enjoying a respite from his exhausting 2015 season, which went into the books with the Shanghai Rolex Masters last month. Looking back, Chung’s milestones may have been more personal than professional, but all the same he faced off against household names in tennis on some of the world’s most famous courts, adding confidence to his already-powerful strokes.
“Most memorable was my match against Stan Wawrinka at the U.S. Open,” said Chung. “I was nervous about having to play on such a big court against such a big name, but I adapted in a few games.”
The bespectacled 18-year-old also met Czech Tomas Berdych and Croatian Marin Cilic at tour-level tournaments. In fact, his very first match against a world-class player was in Miami, when he seized his first-ever tour-level win to set up a round-two showdown with eighth-seeded Berdych. Chung lost 6-3, 6-4.
Against Cilic, he lost twice -- 7-6(6), 6-4 in Shenzhen and 7-6(2), 6-3 in Washington. Nonetheless, former Croatian tennis star Goran Ivanisevic, Cilic’s current coach, predicted Chung would make the top 10 in the near future, given he works on his serve.
“The future is very promising for Chung,” Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion, said at a press event ahead of the Kia Championship in Seoul on Oct. 23. “He, with Borna Coric, Alexander Zverev and Thanasi Kokkinakis, is the future of tennis.”
Chung comes from a family of tennis players, which is how he started. He took it up to try and help maintain his eyesight after requiring glasses at a young age. But they don’t talk very much about the sport, he said.
“My father would always just tell me to do my best and to enjoy playing,” he said. “I’ve faced my brother in a couple of matches, which felt weird. But once the game got started, I felt this determination to win.”
Chung’s surge began in 2014, a year that saw him move full-time into the professional men’s game. Later that year, he contributed to a first-place finish in the Incheon Asian Games men’s doubles tournament.
But his potential hit an all time high this year, winning qualifiers and wild card entries into tour-level and Grand Slam jousts.
He reached his first Grand Slam main draw at Wimbledon in June, but lost to Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert. He compensated with a first-round win against James Duckworth at the U.S. Open in September.
“I think it may be that I try to run more than anyone else on the court,” Chung said of his achievements. “That’s definitely a strength I have over others.” He said his weaknesses are his relatively weak serve and erratic accuracy.
Chung’s rank jumped from 173 to 52 this year, which has had media hailing him as the next Lee Hyung-taik, a former tennis star who hit a career-high of 38 on the ATP singles rankings in August 2007.
“I try not to focus on my ranking,” Chung said. “It would be a lie to say it doesn’t affect my play, but I think it’s too early to be swayed by it.”
Next year holds as many important competitions and milestones for Chung as this year did. He will begin studies at the Korea National Sport University, and may make an appearance at the Rio Olympics. He will also attempt to break into the top 50.
“My ultimate goal is to stand on a podium after winning at a Grand Slam event,” he added. “But I also want to become a player who earns the respect he receives. And I hope to face all the top players at least once each throughout my tennis career.”