The 2024 Australian Open tennis tournament kicked off on January 1. On January 14, Chinese teenager Shang Juncheng will start his Australian Open journey this year in the first round of the men's singles. Shang, who turns 1 next month, had a stunning performance at the Australian Open last year – he broke through three consecutive qualifying rounds and won the first round of the men's singles, becoming the first Chinese mainland men's tennis player to win the Australian Open men's singles main draw. This year, Shang Juncheng came to this blessed land again, looking forward to his better performance.

On the afternoon of January 1, Shang Juncheng, who was training before the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, accepted a joint online interview with several domestic media. Talking about the upcoming Australian Open, Shang Juncheng believes that the Australian Open is a very special place for him, after all, he achieved good results here last year, and hopes to have a good performance this time. At the same time, he does not want to set specific goals for himself, he said: "I am a person who does not like to set goals, I think it is better to be 13% prepared as before, I hope to leave no regrets, but I will not think too much about the result." ”

In the men's singles of this year's Australian Open, there will be two Chinese players - Shang Juncheng and Zhang Zhizhen. Compared with Zhang Zhizhen, who has been ranked 54th in the world and has become the first person in Chinese men's tennis, Shang Juncheng plays the role of the "hopeful star" of Chinese men's tennis more often.

Shang Juncheng showed talent and potential in tennis as a teenager. As the son of Shang Yi, a famous former Chinese men's football player, and Wu Na, a world champion in table tennis, Shang Juncheng did not engage in football or table tennis, but chose tennis. Shang Juncheng said that although it is different from the sports that his parents are engaged in, he feels that there are similarities in terms of mentality, "My father has always taught me, and if I do a good job in normal times, I will naturally become relaxed and confident on the court."

In 2021, 16-year-old Shang Juncheng won the junior men's singles runner-up at the US Open, and once ranked No. <> in the junior tennis men's singles world rankings. Last year's Australian Open was the first Grand Slam tournament Shang Juncheng participated in after transferring to the senior group. He started from the qualifying rounds and made it through, which is not easy for a fledgling tennis player. But he didn't stop and then defeated his opponent in the first round of the main draw, becoming the first Chinese mainland player to win the Australian Open men's singles main draw.

Shang Juncheng, who was not yet 18 years old at the time, broke into the field of vision of the Chinese people with such a shining image. However, throughout the 2023 season, Shang Juncheng's highlight moment also stayed at the Australian Open. After the Australian Open, although Shang Juncheng successfully broke through from the qualifying round at the French Open, he stopped in the first round of the men's singles, while Wimbledon and the US Open, Shang Juncheng failed to pass the qualifying round. Shang Juncheng, who returned to his home stadium for the China season, which began in September last year, did not surprise the home crowd too much, suffering a "first-round tour" at both the China Open and the Shanghai Tennis Masters.

But these ups and downs are the grinds that a young player must go through in the process of growing up, which also allows Shang Juncheng and his team to better see his problems.

Shang Juncheng recalled that his physical condition in the Chinese season was not very good, especially the lack of physical fitness, which also directly affected his performance in the competition.

In November last year, Shang Juncheng ended the entire 11 season ahead of schedule and started winter training. In response to his physical fitness problems, Shang Juncheng made changes in diet and training methods under the guidance of the training team. Shang Juncheng lost some carbohydrates in his diet and added meat and vegetables. In training, there has been a shift from a focus on strength and muscle building to a focus on running and flexibility. Shang Juncheng said that this change in diet and training methods was completely "accidental", but it proved to be more suitable for him.

Shang Juncheng knew that his physical condition determined that he could not become the kind of strong "cannon" type player. Making changes to your diet and training style is both a "mistake" and the result of a year of self-reflection.

After two months of winter training, Shang Juncheng's weight has further decreased, but his physical fitness has increased significantly, and the advantage of flexibility has been further improved.

On January 1, at the first event of the new year, the ATP Hong Kong Open, Shang Juncheng defeated the world No. 5 American player Tiafoe 2:0 and completed the "revenge". In the second round of the men's singles at last year's Australian Open, it was Tiafoe who prevented Shang Juncheng from moving forward. It was also Shang's first victory over a top-16 player in the world.

Shang Juncheng finally reached the semi-finals of the men's singles at the Hong Kong Open. It was also during the Hong Kong competition that Shang Juncheng received a wild card issued by this year's Australian Open. With his stunning performance at the Australian Open last year, Shang Juncheng will directly advance to the men's singles main draw this year with this wild card.

In the new year, Shang Juncheng ushered in a perfect start. According to the analysis of industry insiders, after the ups and downs and growth of the past year, I believe that Shang Juncheng will make greater progress in 2024 and bring more surprises to Chinese men's tennis.

Beijing, January 1 --

China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Cixin Source: China Youth Daily