Each player who qualifies from the US Open will receive a match ball and photo as a souvenir. Photo courtesy of interviewee
After going abroad on October 2, 2021 and returning home on November 17, 2022, 24-year-old Chinese tennis player Yuan Yue played overseas for 410 days. In this "wonderful adventure", which she calls "a wonderful adventure", Yuan Yue traveled to more than 20 countries in Europe, North America, South America and Oceania, and participated in 35 races.
When he left home, Yuan Yue's world ranking was still 322nd, and when he returned home, his world ranking was fixed at 74th at the end of the year. This year, Yuan Yue entered the top 100 for the first time in her career, played in a Grand Slam main draw for the first time, and reached the round of 32 at the US Open.
During the long season, Yuan Yue often needed to travel alone, and "people on the road" did not happen. Behind many hardships, Yuan Yue is still the girl who loves to laugh, not comparing, not in a hurry, "I have always believed in a word, success does not depend on what you do in a day, but on what you do every day." ”
In an exclusive interview with a reporter from the Beijing News a few days ago, Yuan Yue summarized this twists and turns of the season, saying that as long as you work hard enough, there will always be a time to complete a breakthrough. When it comes to next season, Yuan Yue doesn't want to set clear goals, she said that as long as it is better than this season, "Do what you should do every day, and let it happen naturally." ”
Yuan Yue essays, recording some small moods. Photo courtesy of interviewee
It was a magical year, breaking into the top 100 for the first time in the world rankings
On October 17, with the ITF60K championship won in Las Vegas, Yuan Yue reached 83rd in the world ranking, ranking in the top 100 for the first time in her career. On that day, Yuan Yue posted a screenshot of the world ranking on the circle of friends, "Of course, you have to take photos to commemorate, and you can't score the ball every time." ”
In professional tennis, "100" is like a watershed, which is basically the deadline for Grand Slam main draw signing. Before the epidemic, Yuan Yue's world ranking had reached about 200, but since then, due to the impact of the epidemic, the number of participants has decreased sharply, and the ranking has not been able to rise.
At the beginning of the season, Yuan Yue also thought about whether there was a chance to enter the top 100, but he didn't expect the process to be so tortuous and sudden. "It feels like this year is quite magical, quite tortuous, and the ups and downs are quite big." At the beginning of the year, Yuan Yue hit about 150 in the world ranking, which also gave her the confidence to hit the top 100. But then suffered two consecutive defeats and stagnated in the rankings.
"At that time, there was no other choice, and I was forced to do this, and there was no way back except to continue to move forward." There are always ups and downs in the long season, and Yuan Yue said to learn to accept it.
Until the last Grand Slam US Open of the season, Yuan Yue, who started from the qualifying round, won five consecutive matches, not only won the first Grand Slam main draw, but also reached the round of 32 all the way, and the world ranking reached the top 100. In the two months from the US Open to the end of the season, Yuan Yue posted a 20-5 record, accounting for half of the year's wins.
In terms of process, the US Open looks like a turning point in Yuan Yue's magical season, but she doesn't see it that way. "Before that, I had been laying the groundwork for a long time, working hard every day to achieve my goals." It seems to be a sudden breakthrough, but Yuan Yue said that even if it does not happen at the US Open, it will be completed in a later match, "I have always believed in the saying that success does not depend on what you do in a day, but on what you do every day." ”
On November 21, Yuan Yue's year-end ranking was fixed at 74th, which ensures that she will enter the main or preliminary rounds of many Tour tournaments next season. The ranking is up, and Yuan Yue will participate in some high-level competitions as much as possible next season. However, she is also prepared to return to the ITF for a short time to play some lower divisions in case she does not play well on the tour, maintaining her ranking and form.
At the US Open, Yuan Yue received a career-high single tournament prize of $188,000. According to the official website of the WTA, Yuan Yue's total prize money this season is 389,000 US dollars. However, after deducting the relevant taxes and various expenses, it is still stretched. Yuan Yue has hired a doctor and a physical coach this season, plus a technical coach, and the entire team has a lot of expenses, "If you rely on bonuses alone, it is quite difficult to break even." Fortunately, in addition to the bonus, the national team, Guangdong team and Shanhua Tennis Club will give Yuan Yue corresponding support, "Thanks to their support, I can continue to play." ”
The first experience of a Grand Slam, losing too quickly is too late to be nervous
"Everyone who plays tennis ultimately dreams of a Grand Slam, and all other competitions are preparing for a Grand Slam, and only a Grand Slam is where the dream is truly realized." At the 2020 Australian Open, Yuan Yue began her first Grand Slam journey. But it wasn't until Wimbledon this year that Yuan Yue completed her first experience of the Grand Slam main draw, but the happiness came too suddenly, so suddenly that she didn't have time to reminisce.
At Wimbledon this year, Yuan Yue lost to American Harrison in the third qualifying round, and scored the sixth Grand Slam main draw. However, due to Wang Xinyu's withdrawal, Yuan Yue entered the women's singles main draw as a lucky loser at the last moment.
When she received the call from the chief referee to substitute for the competition, Yuan Yue ordered a pasta and had not yet started to eat, leaving her with only more than 20 minutes to prepare. Unlike the other three Grand Slam tournaments, Wimbledon qualification and main tournament are not on the same court, and Yuan Yue, who has never played Wimbledon main matches, does not know the flow of the match, hangs up the phone and goes straight to the 8th court, while the referee has been looking for her at the player's waiting area at this time.
Hastily played, the opponent was No. 20 seed Anisimova, and Yuan Yue quickly lost 3-6, 4-6. The first Grand Slam main draw of his career lasted only 67 minutes, and Yuan Yue ended before he could experience it, and he didn't even have a tight time.
The first Grand Slam experience was not perfect, but the US Open was made up more than two months later. Since the qualifying round, Yuan Yue has won five consecutive games at the US Open, all the way to the round of 32 women's singles. In the third round, Yuan Yue met the No. 8 seed and host player Pegula, and this was her first time playing a top 10 player.
The match was played at Arthur Ashe Central Court, a stadium with a capacity of more than 20,000 people that is one of the temples of tennis. Before going on the stage, Yuan Yue was a little embarrassed, and always felt that she was going to perform on stage, and she stood there and was happy. Pegula asked curiously why, and Yuan Yue said, "Because it's the first time." Pegula also laughed, "It's also my first time, it's very difficult to play at Arthur Ashe Stadium. ”
After losing the first set 2-6, Yuan Yue equalized the score 7-6 (6) in the second set, but was beaten 6-0 by Pegula in the tiebreaker. This set also allowed Yuan Yue to see the gap between him and the top players. "I rarely fought with them before, but not very little, I haven't fought before." Before this, Yuan Yue did not have many opportunities to meet high-ranking players, and his understanding of them was mostly limited to TV broadcasts or live watching, "There is still a big difference between (watching the game) and actually standing opposite them." ”
As the ranking improves, Yuan Yue hopes to have more opportunities to play with high-ranking players, so that at least the mentality can be better, and there will be no panic on the field. In order to compete with them, Yuan Yue's physical fitness, confrontation ability and board count must go up, which needs to be slowly improved in training every day.
However, even if the world ranking is in the top 100 and the Grand Slam reaches the round of 32, Yuan Yue has no regular sponsors so far. During the US Open, Yuan Yue revealed that her jersey was rubbed from Wang Qiang. In an interview with a reporter from the Beijing News, Yuan Yue revealed that there is currently sponsorship to find her, but she has not met a particularly suitable one for the time being, "It's okay, don't panic, there will be many good grades in the future." ”
Taking selfies on the way, Yuan Yue often traveled alone for more than a year. Photo courtesy of interviewee
If you travel alone, you have to book your own tickets and hotels
On October 2, 2021, Yuan Yue, who ended the National Games, traveled to the United States and Europe to compete. At the beginning, Yuan Yue would also count which countries he visited, but then he often changed countries a week, and he couldn't remember it for too long.
Due to family reasons, Yuan Yue's coach Yang Nan was unable to accompany her to compete throughout the year. Many times, Yuan Yue needs to travel alone, booking hotels, booking air tickets, and checking routes by himself.
Competing in Europe, Yuan Yue's most common means of transportation is the European Railway, which is cheap and convenient. But after a long time, it is inevitable that "people are on the road". In Italy last November, Yuan Yue encountered a situation where she couldn't get off the train once when she arrived at the station. "I stopped at that stop for 3 minutes, I had a lot of luggage, I ran two or three carriages with my suitcase, several doors were broken, and one of the passengers who got off the bus at the same station with me cried."
An unexpected episode during the trip disrupted Yuan Yue's established plan, and he could only exchange his ticket again and return after sitting at the station. "Actually, it's just a little late, and you'll still get to where you want to go, as long as the goal doesn't change." In Yuan Yue's view, even if you take the wrong road and the road is far away, you will definitely be able to reach it as long as you go forward, although it may be a little slower.
Traveling alone, tired is a little tired, but also tempered Yuan Yue, more patient in life and on the court. "There are far more difficulties in life than on the pitch." Yuan Yue believes that these difficulties can be overcome, and it will naturally be more courageous on the court.
The picture shows Yuan Yue's sketch in July this year to send homesickness. Photo courtesy of interviewee
Professional players have a lot of equipment when they go out to compete, and 4 pieces of luggage are Yuan Yue's standard equipment. The first is a large box that often weighs more than 20 kg, and its main function is to protect the racket from damage when consigned. At the same time, Yuan Yue also has a 12-pack of large balls, mainly containing some competition equipment. In addition, Yuan Yue will also bring a cabin case and backpack with her.
Even if the bags are large and small, Yuan Yue's luggage can only be compressed and compressed. She loves to draw, but she can't bring professional art equipment. When he was a child, Yuan Yue learned to sketch for a while, and this habit is maintained to this day. When not busy, Yuan Yue still finds time to paint and find some calm in heavy training and competitions. Unlike many players who practice tennis at the age of five or six, Yuan Yue did not start playing tennis until she was 10 years old. If she doesn't play tennis, she is likely to develop on the literary and artistic route.
Most professional players have a strong heart to pursue victory and defeat, and the calm and indifferent Yuan Yue is a little exceptional, she is a little surprised, this seems to be the character that an athlete should not have. The unhurried Yuan Yue is a casual person, she will generously admit that others are better than her, and she will also say that she has never been the best one among her peers, not before, not now, "Even if you do well, there will be someone better than you." Even if you do poorly, you will definitely be better than some people. ”
Yuan Yue and idol Federer take a group photo. Photo courtesy of interviewee
On the day that idol Federer retired, he wrote an 800-word essay
For Yuan Yue, there is one more thing worth recording this past season, the idol Federer has retired. On September 15, the day Federer announced his retirement, Yuan Yue wrote a small essay "To My Idol - Roger Federer", with more than 800 words from the bottom of his heart.
Talking about Federer's influence, Yuan Yue said with a smile that she is a relatively superficial person, like many "milk powder", like Federer simply because he plays very handsome. However, as a professional player, Yuan Yue will still pay attention to Federer's serve, forehand, in front of the net and other technical links, she also wants to learn, but she just can't, "From Federer, where is it so easy to learn." It feels like his tennis is completely different from our ordinary people's tennis. Yuan Yue had tried to hit the ball with the same movement as Federer, and although the movements were similar, the ball was not the same effect.
Long before retiring, Federer had been away from the pitch due to injury. Yuan Yue had thought that when Federer returned one day, he would also buy a ticket to watch his game. But until Federer retired, Yuan Yue did not have the opportunity to watch his game live, and the time was always right, and another reason was that Federer's tickets were too expensive. One year playing junior tournaments at the US Open, Yuan Yue had the opportunity to watch Federer's match, but at that time official channels could no longer buy tickets, and scalper tickets were too expensive.
A few days ago, Federer went to Tokyo to participate in business activities, and Yuan Yue was still thinking that if he returned to China a week later and went to Japan to play by the way, he might have the opportunity to meet him. However, she then sighed, "The difference between the exhibition match and the official competition is quite large. ”
When Federer was playing an exhibition match in Tokyo, Yuan Yue was quarantined in Beijing, waiting to return home to be reunited with her parents. After more than 400 days of wandering, Yuan Yue has maintained close contact with her family. Especially when traveling alone, whenever Yuan Yue arrives at the hotel, he will send a message to his parents as soon as possible, "They always return in seconds, no matter how many time differences there are." ”
It's just that, as in previous years, the vacation for professional tennis players is not long. "I'm quarantined for 8 days, and I might have to start training after two or three days of rest when I get home." After Yuan Yue returned home, he wanted to treat his parents well, even if he didn't do anything, just ate and chat together, "These most ordinary things are actually the most precious." ”
Unable to play during the quarantine and limited in physical training, Yuan Yue hopes to get back in shape as soon as possible. After a short winter break, Yuan Yue plans to go to Australia a week earlier to prepare for the new season. Not surprisingly, Yuan Yue's 2023 season will start from Canberra.
Regarding the new season, Yuan Yue did not set a clear goal, as long as it is better than this year. She said that progress can not be done all at once, there are ups and downs this year, and there may be next year, just take every step steadily, "Do what you should do every day, and let it happen naturally." ”
Chief reporter of Beijing News Sun Haiguang
Edited by Wang Xino
Proofreader: Chen Diyan