Chung returns: Melbourne breakthrough star back in action

Hyeon Chung, inspired by the final of Australian Open 2008 – one of his first experiences of watching a Grand Slam on TV – chose Novak Djokovic as his tennis idol.

“I’m just trying to play (like) Novak because he was playing good in baseline and he mentally really strong as well,” the South Korean explained.

At age 19, a first match against his hero was understandably overwhelming and Chung lost to the eventual champion in the first round of AO2016 in straight sets.

But two years on, momentum and confidence helped by his late-2017 victory in the Next Gen ATP Finals, Chung was ready to pounce. Against the most successful Australian Open competitor of the past half-century, he simply out-Novaked Novak, running and stretching to impossible positions to record the improbable win.

If an asterisk to the victory was that Djokovic was not at his best – with his injured elbow clearly still troubling him even after a six-month break – it was balanced by the composure the younger player had showed. A fact that Novak himself was quick to note.

“I just have to congratulate the opponent tonight. He was the better player in the decisive moment. 7-6(4) 7-5 7-6(3) over three hours, three and a half hours, it was very long, a lot of rallies,” Djokovic said.

“He had to earn his victory. At least I wanted to, you know, challenge him to earn it without handing it to him. That’s what he has done.”

Djokovic’s glowing assessment was accompanied by the view that Chung “has the game to be a top-10 player” – and Federer agreed.

The Swiss had a far easier time against the rising star in their semifinal, with serious blisters that had earlier required painkilling injections forcing Chung to retire when trailing 1-6 2-5.

Federer was quick to note that the abrupt finish was by no means a reflection of his opponent’s quality as a player. In fact, the opposite was true.

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“Today I’m sure he was having a lot of pain with his feet,” Federer noted. “And you couldn’t tell almost. I like that about the idea of hiding any problems from the opponent. That was very impressive, to be honest.

“Then just the way he plays tennis, his forehand and backhand … it’s very intense, his tennis. I was very impressed.”

If Chung was impressive on the court, he was arguably even more so off it as an obvious humility but natural charisma enhanced his every move.

While the 21-year is still developing his English – with the help of a tutor and his time travelling on the tour – he was generous in his post-match interviews and press conferences, where a range of topics were discussed.

One of those topics was the white-rimmed eyewear, which added to the cult-figure status Chung had quickly achieved. Asked about the “The Professor” moniker his spectacles had inspired, the good-natured player had to grin. “I think I like it,” he told the media. “It’s (a) good nickname.”

But clearly there’s a serious side to those prescription glasses, Chung always traveling with four pairs – he wears white on the court and black off it – to allow for possible breakages.

“Without the glasses, I can see guys but I can’t play exactly the same tennis in the court,” he explained.

There’s also a serious side to Chung’s success. While tennis has traditionally fallen behind sports including baseball, soccer, basketball and even ice-skating in South Korea, his Australian Open breakthrough saw a new legion of fans rushing to buy racquets, balls and tennis shoes. Suddenly, there was also a waiting list for courts.

“I think all the people are watching Australian Open now because we make history in Korea,” he beamed.

Read the full article in Australian Tennis Magazine.