First-Time Winner Spotlight: Shang dishes on teddy bears & tiramisu
#NextGenATP star Shang Juncheng made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Chinese player to win an ATP Tour title on home soil at the Chengdu Open.
The 19-year-old also became the first player born in 2005 or later to triumph on the ATP Tour. Entering the week, he had not made a tour-level championship match.
ATPTour.com caught up with Shang to discuss his maiden moment, an important mindset change, his lucky charms and more.
What does it mean to win your first ATP Tour title?
It’s been a tough week, tough matches, tough opponents, and I think it’s special to overcome that, and I feel very grateful to play in [front of] my my home crowd, and they were amazing this week. All the energies were great. My team, they helped me so much. My family that’s supporting me all the way throughout the week. Just super, super happy.
This is a historic moment not only winning your first title, but making more history for Chinese tennis. How much more special does that make this and what should people know about your friendship with the rest of the Chinese stars?
It’s always special to play at home, not mentioning to win a title. I’ve never thought that I would do it this early in my career, but I’m grateful for this one. Just a super special week. I was going match by match, not knowing what will happen in the next one.
All of [the other Chinese players], they support me, and we support each other. We’re kind of competing against each other, the Chinese players. I play one next week in Beijing, actually, and I think it’s going to be a good tournament, good battle, and super excited for what’s coming next.
What have been the key moments of your career that helped you get to this point?
To be honest there are a lot of key moments, but I think what changed is the attitude towards tennis. I think I’ve been trying to place tennis in the number two spot. It’s not the most important thing. It doesn’t matter how many titles you win. At the end, it [is about] the people, the people around you and the family around you. That’s more important. So I think I’ve been focusing on myself, my friends, family, a little bit more than tennis. So when I’m on court, I enjoy it. When I’m off the court, it’s not always about tennis.
Could you take a moment to acknowledge some of the key figures in your life and career who have helped you to reach this milestone?
My parents, they’ve always been supporting me since day one. My grandparents, they’re always really helpful, really supporting me all the time. And my coach, Martin and the IMG Academy family, they’ve been so helpful in my career. When I was 14, practising with all the professionals, it’s really an amazing place to practise, at IMG, and I’m grateful for all the people around me.
First time feeling at home 🇨🇳🏆
Shang becomes the first player born in 2005 or later to win an ATP Tour title after taking down Musetti 7-6(4) 6-1!@ChengduOpen | #ChengduOpen pic.twitter.com/9w8t4Alnlp
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 24, 2024
Both of your parents are athletes. What is one lesson in particular you have learned from each of them?
I think to not show emotions and to be grateful for what you have because when you’re successful, it doesn’t mean that you really deserve it, maybe because you’re lucky. And when others fail, it doesn’t mean that they’re just bad at something. Maybe they’re unlucky.
You don’t judge people by what you see in the first place. So I think that’s something really, really important in our family, that we try to not judge, to always appreciate and to always learn to become our better selves.
You are only 19 years old, and you are here as an ATP Tour champion. What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in the past couple of years since you’ve started this journey as a professional?
Some people say that one career can be really, really long, but I think the past two years, they went by like a flash. And I think you don’t get to play that many years. All of a sudden, maybe I’ll be 30, 35, years old. So you have to enjoy what you have, and you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. So enjoy, enjoy the moment. Whatever you have, try to live 100 per cent, try to enjoy it.
You have long collected teddy bears and they have become your lucky charms. Would you mind telling fans about your current lucky charm(s), where you got it/them and why it’s important to you?
I think to have the bear sitting on the court, you really can’t get mad at a teddy bear. If you get mad at a teddy bear, there’s something wrong with you. So I try to keep calm. Whenever he falls down, I pick him up so [it] can have a good positioning watching the match. It’s really a mental thing. There’s not really any secrets to it, just to have a good attitude.
How would you describe yourself as a player, and how would you describe yourself off the court?
I think I’m really transparent. On and off the court. I’m about the same. Maybe a little crazier off. On court, I’m a little more calm, I’m more focused, and I think overall, I’m a really positive guy, always happy.
What do you consider to be your biggest passion outside of tennis and can you tell us a little bit about that interest?
I would say golf. I think that that’s helped me a lot with my patience. It’s a four-hour sport. You need basically the whole day to play through. And sometimes the conditions are tough, windy, kind of just like tennis. So if you’re patient in that, something off the court, I believe it’s a little like training, you have fun at the same time.
This is a milestone moment in your career. How will you celebrate this victory?
I think by eating tiramisu!