Months before Novak Djokovic launched his dominant run to regain No. 1, Hyeon Chung dismantled Djokovic and Alexander Zverev in a historic Melbourne breakthrough.
The 21-year-old Chung became the first South Korean to reach a Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open before blisters on his left foot forced him to retire against reigning champion Roger Federer.
McEnroe: Kyrgios Most Talented, Headed For Disaster
Chung reached 10 quarterfinals and a career-high rank of No. 19 in a break-out season that also left his body banged up. He withdrew from 13 tournaments, including the entire clay-court and grass-court seasons, due to blisters and lower leg issues.
The world No. 25 has adopted a clear approach to injury prevention: train hard and don't worry about it.
Chung told Gulf News he is focusing on fitness in the offseason aiming for a healthy 2019.
“As it can be natural for a player to get injured while practice or playing tennis,” Chung told Gulf News, “I do not worry about it. I try to keep my physical condition to the best level by discussing with my team all the time. No one wants to go too far and make hasty comeback. My clear objective is to finish the season without an injury."
Chung is scheduled to join a loaded line-up, including Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Karen Khachanov and Kevin Anderson at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition in Abu Dhabi, December 27-29th.
Sustaining health and fitness for a full season is Chung's primary goal for the New Year.
“It was very disappointing to lose out to Federer that way, however, I did my best,” Chung told Gulf News. “I was at a situation where I couldn’t continue to play the match anymore. Anyway, playing semifinals at a Grand Slam was one of the best experiences in my tennis career.
“I will try to participate in all the tournaments that I’m planning to participate including grass court season tournaments. I’m not among the ones who set a specific target but I’m more on the side that try to focus on every game."
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve