Hyeon Chung has vowed to return ‘stronger’ after being forced to withdraw from his semi-final clash against Roger Federer at the Australian Open.
On what was an historic occasion for South Korean tennis, Chung was forced to retire during the second set due to problems with blisters on his left foot. It brings a bitter end to a run that has elevated Chung to headlines around the world. The 21-year-old defeated Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic during what was the best grand slam run ever achieved by a Korean in grand slam tennis.
“It’s like worse than regular blisters. Over the last few days, it was blister under blister under blister. He had it shaved off. Now it’s red raw. They tried injections to see if it numbed the pain. It didn’t work.” Chung’s agent, Stuart Duguid, commented about the problem.
It was the first time Chung has retired from an ATP match since 2014, when he withdrew from a Challenger tournament in Taipei. Visibly disappointed with the outcome of his run, Chung has no regrets about not finishing his match against the world No.2 in Melbourne.
“I think I did the right thing. If I play bad on the court, it’s not good for the fans and the audience as well.” He said.
“I’m happy to be able to make semis in a Grand Slam. I want to be stronger next year.”
Chung’s Melbourne performance hasn’t gone unnoticed in his home country. According to Nielsen Korea, his match against Djokovic attracted a viewer rating of 5.02%. Higher than any other program on air during the same time. Furthermore, online retailed Gmarket has reported a 357% increase in sales of tennis shoes in South Korea compared to the same time 12 months ago.
The winner of the inaugural Next Gen Finals last November, many has tipped Chung for success in the future. Including Federer, who will take on Marin Cilic in the Australian Open final.
“I think he’s going to be a very good player. I don’t like to put too much pressure on players by saying they’re going to win everything because I don’t think it’s fair.” The 36-year-old said during his press conference.
“I think he’s going to have a lot of success.” He added.
Reflecting back on his surge in form. Chung says he now feels more confident when taking on the best players in the world. His recent win over Zverev was the first top 10 player he had defeated in his career.
“I think a lot of confidence.” He replied when asked what has has learnt. “I played a lot of good players in last two weeks. I can now play more comfortable on the court with the great players like Roger. “I think I can play better next time.”
Next week Chung is set to break into the top 30 on the ATP Emirates rankings for the first time in his career.