Korean tennis star Kwon Soon-woo (26, Dangjin City Hall), who sparked controversy by slamming his racket and refusing to greet his opponent after losing in the men’s singles tennis match at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, bowed his head again and apologized after securing a bronze medal in doubles.
On the 27th, Kwon Soon-woo played in a group with Hong Seong-chan (26, Sejong City Hall) in the men’s doubles quarterfinals of tennis held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center in Zhejiang, China, defeating the group of Shinji Hazawa and Kaito Uesugi (Japan) 2-0 (6-2). won 6-4).
Kwon Soon-woo, who secured the bronze medal, once again bowed his head in response to the recent controversy over bad manners in a post-game interview. He apologized, saying, “After the second round of the singles match, I was immature and acted unnecessarily,” and added, “I would like to apologize to the people of Thailand and to the people of Thailand who must have been greatly disappointed.”
Kwon Soon-woo, ranked 112th in the world, lost 1-2 (3-6 7-5 4-6) to Kasidit Samrez (Thailand), ranked 636th in the world, in the second round of singles on the 25th.
Soon-woo Kwon, unable to control his anger immediately after losing, slammed his racket on the floor. Even when his opponent offered to shake his hand, he refused and left the field.
Afterwards, as public criticism grew stronger, Kwon Soon-woo visited the Thai team the day after the game and apologized in person and issued a handwritten apology.
Kwon Soon-woo said on this day, “My actions must have made Samrez very uncomfortable, and I would like to apologize again for that as well.”
Next, regarding some claims that Samrez played unmanneredly to waste time first during the game, he said, “I think I can make that kind of judgment during the game, and it was the result of my excitement.” “You have been disappointed by my actions, so all I can say is that I am sorry,” he said.
Regarding the game that day, he said, “Today is doubles, not singles, so I tried to be as stable as possible,” and “I focused as much as possible on the game to avoid causing any damage to my partner.”
He said, “I hope Seongchan wins a gold medal in singles. “I will cheer hard,” he said, adding, “There is a doubles match left, but no matter who the opponent is, whether it is the semifinals or the final, we will do our best to win the gold medal with the thought that we are the best and will never lose.”
The pair of Kwon Soon-woo and Hong Seong-chan will face off against the group of Saketh Mineni and Ramkumar Ramanathan (India) in the semifinals on the 28th to advance to the finals.
Hyewon Lee, Donga.com
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.