President Moon backs Chung to bring more joy to South Koreans

The bespectacled 21-year-old, conqueror of six-times Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic, suffered from blisters on his foot before retiring from the match while trailing 6-1 5-2 against 19-times grand slam champion Roger Federer.

President letter to Hyeon Chung

Source: Facebook/ Hyeon Chung

"Chung Hyeon wrote a new chapter in South Korean sports history and brought pride and happiness to all South Koreans. We are so proud of him," Moon said in a statement on Saturday.

"It is such a pity that he got injured but I believe Chung will go on to become an even better player and achieve excellent results," Moon added.

With his defeat, Chung fell short of becoming the first man to reach his first Tour level final at a grand slam since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Australian Open 10 years ago.

Despite winning the ATP's NextGen Finals last year, the world number 58 was virtually unknown in South Korea before gaining superstar status with a run in Melbourne that saw him also oust the Zverev brothers.

His success has raised the profile of the game in South Korea, with the country's leading online auction and shopping mall website Gmarket witnessing a boom in tennis products including shoes, bags and rackets.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)


Share
1 min read

Published

Updated

By Justin Sungil Park
Source: Reuters, SBS

Share this with family and friends


Follow SBS Korean

Download our apps
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Korean-speaking Australians.
Ease into the English language and Australian culture. We make learning English convenient, fun and practical.
Get the latest with our exclusive in-language podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
Korean News

Korean News

Watch it onDemand
President Moon backs Chung to bring more joy to South Koreans | SBS Korean