Hyeon Chung, the last to beat Djokovic at the Australian Open, and his ordeal after achieving the impossible

Novak Djokovic continues to add victories to his historic winning streak in the Australian Open. The one obtained in four sets and almost four hours of play against the American Taylor Fritzaccess to the semi-finals was the 33rd consecutive for the Serbian in the “big” oceanic tournament and allowed him to equal the tournament record held by the American Monica Seles. Five years have passed – four consecrations and one absence – since the last time the world number one was defeated on the hard courts of Melbourne Park. It was January 22, 2018 in the round of 16 of the edition that ended with Roger Federer lifting the title, the last the Swiss would win in a Slam.

Djokovic’s “executioner” in that match was Hyeon Chung, who beat by 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 and 7-6 (7-3) a Nole team far from the best level (they were 14th in the table and returned to play after six months of inactivity for right elbow injury) and achieved a resounding victory. The celebration promised to give a big boost to a career that seemed to have a bright future. The South Korean, then 21 years old and 58th in the world, was one of the most promising young players on the circuit, for many a potential Grand Slam champion. However, none of the expectations that he had generated were fulfilled because his injuries did not allow him to finish playing.

Today, at 27, Chung is 1,099th in the ATP rankings and has just eight points. They are the ones achieved last year, when, in a new attempt to return to competition, he competed in the qualifiers Wimbledon. He beat the Bulgarian in the first round Dimitar Kuzmanov and retired in the second against the Frenchman Enzo Couacaud due to severe shoulder discomfort. There has been no news of him since then. Furthermore, the last publication on their social networks precedes this step All of England: He is seen on a grass field, playing with a ball and “preparing” for the ride on that surface.

What have you experienced since that unforgettable victory against Djokovic and the painful withdrawal from the British Major, just over six months ago? A continuous nightmare with several physical problems and a recurring lower back injury, which kept him away from the circuit for two years, between 2020 and 2022.

Born in May 1996 in Suwon, into a family closely linked to tennis (the father Seok Ji He was a player and is a coach and his older brother Hong followed the same path), Chung began practicing that sport to improve his vision problems. Due to this visual impairment, he always played with glasses.

He had all the qualities to be successful on the circuit: he hit hard on both sides, he knew how to defend and attack, he had a good physique (he is 1.88 meters tall) and he was fast, agile and disciplined. “A wall”Djokovic praised him after the defeat in Melbourne, where he has since been crowned four times, in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023 (he did not play in 2022, when he was sent off amid controversy for his refusal to be vaccinated against the coronavirus). .

A few months before surprising the Serbian in the “big” oceanic event, Chung had made history by winning the first edition of the ATP Next Gen Finals, in Milan. He won that tournament undefeated, with extraordinary victories against other (at the time) great promises of his litter, Daniel Medvedevwho he beat in the semi-final, and Andrei Rublevin the round robin group and in the final.

At the beginning of 2018 he was the big surprise in Australia, where he beat Mischa ZverevMedvedev and Alexander Zverev before going down to Nole.

“I don’t know how I did it, I’m just happy. It’s an honor to play against Novak. When I was little I tried to copy Novak, because he’s my idol. I can’t believe it, tonight a dream came true”, he commented after beating the Serbian.

In the quarterfinals he eliminated Tennys Sandgren meet Federer in the semi-final, but blisters on his left foot forced him to withdraw when the Swiss beat him 6-1 and 5-2.

After that tournament the ordeal began. Although in April of that season he achieved his best finish (19th) and managed to win nine challengers, injuries to his ankles and abdominal area did not allow him to achieve continuity and his career remained increasingly stagnant . And in September 2020, after falling in the second round of qualifying Roland Garros in view of Renzo Olivodisappeared from the scene.

He spent nearly two years trying to recover from that back discomfort, which led him to undergo surgery and undergo several treatments. In September 2022 he returned to a tennis court. Without ranking and with little pace, he played the doubles draw of the ATP Seoul with his compatriot Soonwoo Kwon. They entered thanks to a special invitation and met in the semifinals.

“I had to cure the back problem and rehabilitate it, cure it and rehabilitate it continuously. Then it was training, training, training and rehabilitation for two years. My main goal is to stay injury-free, so I want to stay healthy,” he commented at that time. moment in an interview with the ATP.

It wasn’t until April last year that he played a singles match again. He was in the Challenger from Seoul, which he also entered thanks to a wild card. He lost on his debut against the Australian Jordan Thompsonbut celebrated having “pulled a real two-hour game” and finishing without discomfort.

That was supposed to be the kickoff for his breakthrough comeback. After the race in the South Korean capital, he competed in four other challengers, without any victories-Pusanin concrete, and Surbiton, Nottingham AND Ilkleyon grass-, before reaching Wimbledon, where he entered qualifying with a protected ranking of 159th. But once again his body failed him and Chung left London with a 1-1 record, his head down and a new injury.

Since then he has not appeared publicly or posted anything on his social networks. Has there been a turning point in his private career? If so, at least he will have the good memories of that huge victory against Djokovic in Australia. The latest blow was the one the Serbian suffered at Melbourne Park, at least for now.