Last fall, the most talented young men in tennis gathered for a competition in Milan. There were no ranking points at stake—just money. It was a way to relax and show off your skills, and not worry about being upset. Turns out this was the perfect stage for Hyeon Chung, a 21-year-old from South Korea. Out of nowhere, he dominated the field and won.
That was Chung’s first-ever title as a professional, and it seems to have changed his attitude and confidence. Because at the Australian Open, he’s playing like someone who has been to the late stages of a Slam before. Chung, who beat Novak Djokovic in the fourth round on Monday, won again on Wednesday and will now play Roger Federer in the semifinals. Chung will be an underdog of the most severe kind. He’s not a rookie, but he’s still only 21 and has little experience against top players. And he’s playing against the finest and most successful tennis champion in history. I suspect Federer has won more tournaments than Chung has entered in his entire life, from the time Chung first picked up a racket. To make it worse: Federer hasn’t lost a set so far in the tournament and I won’t be surprised if his unblemished mark survives the match.
But no matter the outcome, Chung has already won big in Melbourne. He’s the guy who beat Djokovic, and he did it in straight sets. More impressive, he didn’t suffer a letdown after that win, which so often happens to young players after big upsets. And Federer has taken notice of him.
“I’m very excited to play Chung,” Federer said a few hours after Chung’s quarterfinal win over American Tennys Sandgren on Wednesday. “I thought he played an incredible match against Novak. I mean, to beat him here is one of the toughest things to do in our sport. To bounce back from the Novak match and just somehow get it done today, that’s tough. That shows that he’s had good composure, a great mindset and also physically he must have recovered.”
Chung’s dedication in tennis comes from his eyes. He wears glasses, a very rare sight in the sport (most players either don’t need them or use contact lenses). He started wearing them as a child. He played tennis, at the start, to help maintain and improve his vision. The eyes in tennis are essential, and not just for vision. It’s reaction—see the ball, move immediately—that matters along with anticipation, and Chung seems adept at this. It’s not just his speed that allows him to chase down shots.
I love Chung’s style. He hits solid serves, and even better, he doesn’t waste much time bouncing the ball or staring across the net before he swings. (Marin Cilic is probably the worst offender in this regard.) When Chung belts his forehand—which he does a lot—he looks, in a small way, like Federer: swinging with the arm and elbow fully extended on contact. His legs are powerful, he moves well, and he’s creative with angles and volleys. And at the moment, he’s fearless. I imagine that against Federer, Chung will come out firing to see if he can hang around, at least for a while.
Whatever happens in Melbourne, there’s a long way to go for Chung. He needs time and luck and smart decisions on where to play, and when. It could be years before he has a Grand Slam tournament like this one again. But that’s no matter. His result at this Australian Open, so rare these days for a player his age, is perfect.
