Chung Hyeon showing the vigor and capacity of Korean youth

It was mesmerizing. The youth and vigor that drove his opponent into the corner without any exhaustion was refreshing to watch. At the Australian Open men’s single, one of the four major tennis tournaments in the world, Chung Hyeon has advanced into the semi-finals at a major league for the first time in Korea’s history of tennis. He was full of merriment and delight during the entire game on Wednesday.

At the round of 16 with Servia’s Novak Djokovic and at the quarterfinals with Sandgren, the 21-year-old South Korean rookie was able to reap complete victory of 3 to 0. Djokovic was the 12-time Grand Slam winner who maintained the 1st place in global ranking for 223 weeks. Nevertheless, Chung Hyeon prevailed the game bravely.

It was not just the game that was impressive. Right after creating the legend of reaching the semi-finals, the Korean player said “I was thinking about what to say in ceremony” in fluent English to the question “What did you think at this historic moment of the last match point?”, making speculators laugh. He also said, “There are too many,” when calling out the names of family members and coach. When he had a chance to talk in Korean at the end of the interview he waved his hands to the audience, saying, “It is not over. I will see you on Friday (when the semi-finals is held).”

After winning the round of 16 matches, Chung Hyeon sent a message of gratitude to his former coach by writing “Captain! Are you watching?” on the lens of a broadcasting camera. The words he wrote in Korean after securing the semi-finals were “Choong on fire.” This implied the climax of his confidence by adding “on fire” to “Choong,” which is how foreigners pronounce his last name “Chung.” Every action by Chung shows the liveliness and wit of a 21-year-old. There must have been many Korean citizens who recognized the difference with previous generations, who could barely talk and started crying when winning a major game.

Chung Hyeon is demonstrating the youth of Korea who has outstanding ability, fluent English skills and wit. They are sincere yet not serious. The worst unemployment rate since 2000 and endless disputes over the fairness of opportunity may make the Korean youth suffer but cannot surrender them. That is why Chung Hyeon’s remarkable activities make people’s heart move and bring hope.