A few days ago, the Chinese player set his goals for the Next Generation ATP Finals. Now, Shang Juncheng has an excellent opportunity to make a breakthrough in the ATP Beijing 2023 competition. The local tennis player will face his opponent Yoshihito Nishioka who just finished in Zhuhai in the first match.
His name had been around for a few seasons when Marcelo Ríos became his coach, but a quarrel between the coach and Shang’s father ruined this promising connection. It was in Beijing that the young tennis player began a new relationship with another coach: “This isn’t the first time I’ve worked with him. Last year, I was with my IMG coach at a lot of games.We have a very close relationship and I think that helps me a lot“.
“Jerry’s” poor performance didn’t end there. Just months after his greatest feat – his first major championship main draw victory – Juncheng fell ill with mononucleosis. At Roland Garros, he was also able to survive the qualifying stages, something he couldn’t achieve at Wimbledon. The good results came to an abrupt end, and although he reached the last 16 in two consecutive rounds in Atlanta and Washington, he once again gained confidence on the hard courts, although he did not advance to the main draw of the US Open. “All the Grand Slams this year have been impressive, the best for me being the Australian Open.That’s where I perform best, have the best grades, and have the best mentality“.
Lessons learned from the Grand Slams
“I learn a lot at every Grand Slam and I learn from every opponent. I gain a lot of experience in every game. Reaching the second round of the Australian Open was a big step forward for me.” said Shang Juncheng, who is currently ranked 160th in the ATP rankings. His progress is evidenced by his ranking in the Next Generation ATP Finals, where he is ranked 18th.
The pressure of playing at home
“I do feel the pressure of playing in front of home fans because you want to do your best at home and there’s extra pressure. I told myself that I didn’t want to put more pressure on myself in front of so many people in a big game. I think I put all the extra pressure on myself. I need to believe in myself, my level of play, and the team’s strategy. I wanted to be more relaxed during this event.It’s not possible but I want to improve my game“.