Chung Sees Djokovic In His Future

South Korean teenager Hyeon Chung was voted by his ATP World Tour peers as last year’s most improved player. On Monday at the Australian Open, we may just find out why.

Chung, who took up tennis as a young child for the purpose of improving his eyesight, will take on World No. 1 and hot Australian Open favourite Novak Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena. It will be Chung’s first meeting against the 10-time Grand Slam champion and his main draw debut at the year’s first major.

Despite the grand stage, don’t expect Chung to show too many nerves. After all, this is a guy who played – and won – the doubles final at the Asian Games in 2014 when the prize awaiting the champions was an exemption from South Korea’s compulsory two-year military service.

“At the beginning of the Games I didn’t think too much about it, but as I started getting closer to the final I started to get a little nervous as I knew I would get the exemption,” Chung told ATPWorldTour.com in Brisbane earlier this month.

Instead of a two-year military commitment, which would have severely impacted his tennis career, by winning gold Chung needed only to complete a four-week training camp during last year’s off-season. Although he enjoyed the experience, he’s the first to admit that he’s better suited to serving a tennis ball than serving as a sniper.

“I could barely see the target when I was shooting; I thought I’ll never be given an opportunity to shoot again. But it was a great experience as you get to know different people from different regions and different backgrounds. I made some new friends; understandably some people were a little jealous because after four weeks training I was getting out but it was just the start of their service.”

Had it not been for his eyesight, Chung may never have picked up a tennis racquet. It was his childhood doctor who recommended that he begin playing at age six as a means to improve his vision.

“Rather than just reading small letters, the doctor said it was better to go out on the tennis court and track the ball. That’s why I started. I’ve never considered wearing glasses on the court a disadvantage, because I’ve always worn glasses, even before I began to play tennis. It’s never been an issue for me.”

Last year, at No. 169 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Chung lost in the final round of qualifying at Melbourne Park and he did not play a tour-level match until the Miami Open in late March, when he received a wild card. Chung began 2015 playing six tournaments at the ATP Challenger and ITF Futures level; he ended it with seven ATP World Tour-level appearances (five in the main draw) and the last of his four Challenger titles of the year.

This year he is firmly in the main draw of the Australian Open at a career-high No. 51 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and comes into the tournament having pushed 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic to 7-5, 7-6(3) in the second round of the Brisbane International, following an impressive first-round win over big-serving Aussie Sam Groth.

At his last Grand Slam outing, Chung pushed Stan Wawrinka to three tie-breaks in the second round of the US Open.

“Stepping up from the Challengers to tour-level last year was a great experience, finding out that I am competitive with the best players in the world. It gave me some confidence and made me realise there is an opportunity if I keep working.

“Seeing my ranking improve so much did come as a bit of a surprise because at the beginning of the season I didn’t set a specific rankings goal. I had some good opportunities, like the wild card in Miami and qualifying into some other ATP World Tour tournaments, and they were great experiences. Now my goal is to just keep jumping up the rankings.”

Chung’s match with Djokovic is scheduled for third match on Rod Laver Arena.