Shang Juncheng celebrates victory.
A new wind has blown in the Chinese men's tennis world.
At the just-concluded ATP 1000 Indian Wells Masters, Shang Cheng won the first set and received a retirement gift from his opponent and won a regular place.
Although it was only a qualifier, this battle created a lot of history for Shang Juncheng and even the entire Chinese men's tennis team - these achievements come from the 17-year-old Shang Juncheng. So, how many more surprises can he bring?
The sports family gave birth to a new tennis star
Shang's name had gradually become "popular" a few years ago, but his initial fame was due to his family background.
Shang Juncheng's father is former international Shang Yi, and his mother is table tennis world champion Wu Na. At the age of 5, Shang Juncheng picked up the racket and embarked on the road of sports.
Shang Juncheng said that the reason why he did not choose football and table tennis, but chose tennis, is entirely out of personal interests. To date, the 17-year-old Shang Juncheng has not officially turned professional, but he has made major breakthroughs on the field again and again.
In 2021, he reached the quarter-finals and four of the French Open and Wimbledon junior groups, and topped the men's tennis youth world first, and later won the second place in the US Open junior group, and won the 2021 ITF International Tennis Federation Junior Men's Singles World Championship.
Entering the 2022 season, Shang Juncheng officially entered the adult arena, and the surprises are still continuous. On February 28, he won the ITF U.S. M15 in Naples, winning his fourth personal ITF title. Now in the Indian Wells regular race, he has set many records:
The first male player in China to enter the Indian Wells main competition, the first male player to advance to the Masters through the qualification competition... Shang Juncheng, who is not yet an adult, has already carved his name into the history of the Chinese men's network.
Shang Juncheng and father Shang Yi (first from left).
Self-discipline and diligence lead to outstanding performance
Heroes out of youth, Shang Juncheng's goal is also very ambitious. 'My ultimate goal is the same as most players, which is to be number one in the world. He once said in an exclusive interview with a surging reporter.
But he also knows that if he wants to achieve such a grand goal, he can only start with every step of his feet.
Last year's outstanding performance in the junior Grand Slam gave Shang The confidence to face the challenge of the big scene, but he also always reminded himself that the adult arena and the junior competition have a completely different intensity.
In March last year, he used a wild card to participate in the qualifying round of the ATP Miami Open, stopping the first round and making his ATP Tour debut. A year later, coming to the qualifiers for the Indian Wells Masters, his first victory on the ATP Tour finally arrived.
"The professional players in the dressing room are very focused on the game, there is no looseness. But the atmosphere of the youth game will be very relaxed, and some players are particularly 'focused' on their mobile phones, and they can see that the attention is not very concentrated. Professional players are more professional and know what to do. ”
And he himself has long demanded himself by the standards of professional players: "Every day I have to train very hard, keep my head clear, and the game (performance) comes from the usual training, including eating and sleeping in life." ”
In the future, create more history for the Chinese men's net?
Currently, the 17-year-old Shang Juncheng is ranked 543rd in the world, but after reaching the Indian Wells regular game, his instant ranking has rushed to around 430.
As the first Chinese male player to appear in the Indian Wells main tournament, each of his victories will create new history. In the future, the young man undoubtedly has a lot of time to hit more records.
At present, the world's highest ranking of the Chinese men's tennis team is 139 created by Zhang Zhizhen, the best result in the ATP Masters is the second round, and the best result in the tour is the top four.
These histories are all goals that Shangcheng is worth pursuing and surpassing in the future.
At a time when the record is higher and more and more concerned by the outside world, how to deal with the pressure is becoming more and more important for Shang Chengcheng, fortunately, the growth background of the sports family has also helped him in this regard.
He revealed to the surging news reporter that he had learned from his parents: "Usually, I work 100% hard in training, and don't put too much pressure on myself during the game." My parents are good athletes, and I'll be more confident because the advice they gave me was definitely the right one. ”
"I think the goal should not be set too high, setting a goal means that there is pressure, but it will affect the performance in the game." Relaxing to play better and keep your head clear, I think that's very important. ”
Although strict self-discipline is required on the road to chasing dreams, the 17-year-old does not feel hard and depressed: "Because I am doing something that I am very passionate about every day." I will go and enjoy the training. ”