Former president wows audience

Former President Lee Myung-bak hits the ball during The Korea Times 12th Diplomats & CEO Tennis Championship at the Grand Hyatt Seoul tennis court, Saturday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

By Baek Byung-yeul

Former President Lee Myung-bak is a passionate tennis player.

For him, age is truly nothing more than a number.

The former President, who keeps in shape even at the age of 74, was originally scheduled to play only two matches as a special guest player at The Korea Times 12th Diplomats & CEO Tennis Championship at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Saturday.

However, after winning two matches, he was still hungry for wins. He wanted more matches ― showing no fatigue at all ― and bagged four wins.

Pairing with James Kim, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM Korea) and CEO and president of GM Korea, Lee proved vigorous, winning every match he played against pairs from Ecuador, the United States, New Zealand and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He showed off amazing physical prowess and skill at the court of the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Saturday while air pollution blanketed the nation.

“My secretaries advised me not to go out for playing tennis today because of the yellow dust. But it’s okay for me,” he said.

Lee, the 10th president of the country who served from 2008 to 2013, is known as an avid tennis player who has enjoyed the sport for decades.

After winning four matches, the unbeatable former president said his opponent diplomats were making mistakes because they tried to hit the ball too hard.

“You have to use only 70 percent of your power in every sport. It’s the same with tennis, golf and even politics,” Lee said. “If you try to hit the ball using all the power you have, you always end up screwing it up. You have to hit the ball soft and easy, that’s the winning trick.”

Though he didn’t shuffle around the court like world-ranked players, he wowed the audiences with his solid performance.

After winning the fourth match, Lee could hear resounding applause as he cast an energetic spell on the crowd, shouting: “Old man wins!”