Davis Cup Hero Lee Hyung-taik Hitting Prime at 31

Lee Hyung-taik talks to reporters at the Incheon International Airport Tuesday after leading South Korea into its first World Group berth in the Davis Cup since 1987 at the playoffs in Bratislava, Slovakia, Sunday. / Yonhap

By Kim Tong-hyung

Staff Reporter

He is among the oldest of the world's top tennis players, but getting treated like a new sensation.

Two days after helping South Korea secure a spot in the elite World Group of the 2008 Davis Cup competition, its first berth in 21 years, a tired but jubilant Lee Hyung-taik and his teammates got a hero's welcome at Incheon International Airport Tuesday and took a moment to soak up the applause.

``Tennis has never been more fun,'' said the 31-year-old Lee, flashing a wide smile as he hugged his two infant daughters and son who are apparently too young to realize that their father has just rescued Korea from irrelevance in international tennis.

Lee achieved his latest career milestone when he defeated Slovakia's Lukas Lacko at the Davis Cup playoffs in Bratislava Sunday. The win gave Korea an unassailable 3-1 lead and a berth to the World Group for the first time since 1987.

This came just weeks after Lee reached the round of 16 at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2000 to tie for his best display at a Grand Slam tournament.

``I expected the playoffs with Slovakia to be tough, but I imagined the joy of winning against them and that fueled my confidence,'' said Lee, listed No.39 on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world rankings list, the highest spot ever by a Korean.

Lee is the oldest player among the top 40, seven months senior to Spain's Carlos Moya and a year older than Argentina's Guillermo Canas. However, his recent hot streak has him speaking with the enthusiasm of a wide-eyed teenager, as the father of three struggles to keep the word ``fun'' out of any conversation.

``I had a similar mindset in the U.S. Open, thinking it would be great to reach the final 16 for the first time in seven years,'' he said. ``I never pressured myself and just tried to have some fun out there, and I really did reach the round of 16. It's really fun to achieve your goals one by one.''

Lee's impressive 2007 season, which is shaping up to be the best of his career, has him on course to achieve yet another goal _ representing his country in the Olympics. To earn a spot in the men's singles tournament in Beijing next year, Lee needs to be within the top 49 in the world rankings, which will be announced next June.

Lee faces tougher challenges in chasing his dreams in 2008, as he can no longer sneak up on opponents, who are sure to treat him with renewed respect.

He also will carry the weight of a nation's hopes on his shoulders in February's Davis Cup, and it bears further watching how much his teammates Im Kyu-tae, Jun Woong-sun and Ahn Jae-sung can share the load. And all this will be coming in an Olympic year.

``To be honest, our team is the weakest among the World Group teams. There are a lot of teams who have second-leg players who are better than me,'' said Lee, who found hope in his developing partnership with Im in doubles.

``It would be great if we could avoid powerhouses, such as the U.S. or Spain, in the group draws. Countries like Romania might be manageable for us,'' he said.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced the seeds for the draw for the World Group of next year's Davis Cup that will take place in London. The eight seeded nations are Russia, the United States, Argentina, Spain, Germany, Sweden, France and Belgium. The seeded nations will be drawn against Korea, Austria, Czech Republic, Britain, Israel, Peru, Romania and Serbia.