Tennis, Chung is back: the fall after the success, the ordeal and now the return to Seoul

The explosion from Next Gen, the rise to the Grand Slam level and then the fall. Hyeon Chung, the predestined with glasses, is finally ready to return to the Tour after two years in which his physique has given him no respite. He will restart from the Seoul tournament, at home, together with his friend and compatriot Soonwoo Kwon, before returning to compete in the Challenger circuit and attempting to climb the ranking, which in 2019 saw him debut in the Top 20.

Promise ‘Next’

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His is a crystalline talent, which already shone from the junior days in which he conquered the Orange Bowl U12 and reached the Wimbledon final in 2013, even taking the attentions of Nick Bollettieri. After having raided during his career in the Challengers (he won 9), he confirmed himself as champion of precocity by also winning the first edition of the Milan Under-21 Finals in 2017. Since then it has been a continuous crescendo for the South Korean tennis player who at the beginning 2018 managed to go all the way to the Australian Open semifinals, sequentially defeating the likes of Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic. In the same year he also reached the quarter-finals in Indian Wells and Miami and obtained the best ranking of n.19 in the world, a moment in which, however, the problems began on a physical level. The numerous injuries encountered – from blisters, to the right ankle then operated on, finally passing through the back – are nothing more than the result of a powerful tennis and a physical transformation that prevented him from constantly making his presence felt on the Tour and express their full potential.

The ordeal

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His last match before the long stop caused by back problems, dates back to 23 September 2020 on the occasion of the second qualifying round of Roland garros, where he surrendered in two sets to the Argentine Renzo Olivo. From that date onwards, nothing was known about Chung, who had sunk into the ranking and ended up in oblivion, while in the meantime the overwhelming rise of other stars of the new generation was preparing. Among the few news leaked during the crisis period, the one dating back to the beginning of 2021 with the South Korean who announced through social media that he had undergone an operation is relevant. “I have been suffering from back pain for some time,” he wrote on Instagram. “So I decided to have an operation and things went pretty well. I can’t wait to get back on the pitch. I have just started rehabilitation and I am determined to get back on tour as soon as possible ”.

Uphill

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The good intentions, however, were not reflected in the reality of the facts, with the physical problems that turned out to be more serious than expected. In fact, Chung never set foot on the pitch in 2021 and in the forced pause the few posts shared on social networks portended anything but an impending return. Even the statements of his father are not very reassuring, who confessed that his son was barely able to stretch a year after the operation. “All he does is stretching and physiotherapy,” said Chung’s father, vice president of the South Korean federation last January. “Hyeon is a perfectionist. I think he will come back when his body is completely healed.”

The return

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The first glimmer of light came this summer, with the 26-year-old finally posting a video on the pitch preparing for his return: “Hello world”, the chosen caption. After the worst, now Hyeon will celebrate his return home, at the ATP 250 in Seoul, where he will be on the field in the doubles alongside Soonwoo Kwon, current n.121 in the world rankings and last year champion at the Nur-Sultan tournament. On the occasion of the first round, on Thursday 28 September the two will challenge the Filipino Treat Huey and the Mexican Hans Hach Verdugo. “I’m just happy to be back,” Chung said at the pre-tournament press conference. “I don’t know how well I’ll be able to play, but I’ll do my best. During the break I matured mentally. I took tennis for granted, but now I am grateful for the chance to set foot on the court ”.