The victory of Kwon Soon-woo (84th, Dangjin City Hall), who wrote a new history of Korean tennis, was not an achievement that was just made. The combination of firm belief and confidence in oneself and the infinite trust of the coach resulted in the best results that exceeded many people’s expectations.
Kwon Soon-woo defeated Roberto Bautista Agut (26th, Spain) in the final of the 2nd Men’s Professional Tennis (ATP) Tour Adelaide International Tournament (total prize money: $642,735) held in Adelaide, Australia on the 14th, 2-1 (6-6) 4 3-6 7-6) and stood tall at the top.
Kwon Soon-woo, who advanced to the finals as a ‘lucky loser’ and even won the championship, changed the history of Korean tennis. Kwon Soon-woo, who enjoyed the joy of winning the tour again after 1 year and 4 months after the Astana Open in September 2021, made the achievement of winning two ATP tour tournaments for the first time in Korea beyond “Legend” Hyung-taek Lee.
Kwon Soon-woo won his prize money of 97,760 dollars (approximately 121.41 million won) and at the same time significantly raised the world ranking to 52nd.
Kwon Soon-woo made up his mind through a hairstyle transformation ahead of the new season.
At the ceremony held after the historic victory, the eyes of Korean fans were focused on Kwon Soon-woo’s head. Kwon Soon-woo, who has been showing off unique hairstyles with various dyes, drew attention by appearing with short sports hair this time.
His shortened hairstyle contained a firm will to leap to a higher place in the new year. Kwon Soon-woo explained, “I cut it short before winter training. It means to harden my mind and do better.” This is the part where you can see what attitude Kwon Soon-woo entered into the new season.
The increased trust of the coach also served as a factor that allowed Soon-Woo Kwon to display the best performance.
Coach Daniel Yoo, who is in charge of Kwon Soon-woo, said, “There was no separate coaching for Soon-woo in the finals. Because Sun-woo had faith in his performance in this tournament, we believed in him until the end.”
As he said, Kwon Soon-woo and the coaches in this tournament boasted a fantastic teamwork. Even when faced with a crisis, they did not fall apart by putting trust in each other ahead of disagreement, and with that strength, they defeated the strong and bore sweet fruits. 슬롯사이트
It was also impressive how quickly he found his composure during the game. When the match did not go well in the second set of the final, Kwon Soon-woo slammed his racket on the floor and showed excitement. However, he immediately calmed down and calmly continued his own play and finally tasted the joy of his victory.
Coach Daniel Yoo emphasized, “Actually, considering Sunwoo’s style of play, Agood is a tricky opponent.”
Kwon Soon-woo will now compete in the Australian Open, which opens on the 16th. Kwon Soon-woo, who complemented the strong forehand and backhand and the weak serve, aims for the best performance in major tournaments after the 3rd round of the 2021 French Open.
The key is recovery. Soon-Woo Kwon exhausted a lot of stamina while fighting several times in Adelaide. Even after the finals, he focused on recovery, such as receiving massages at his lodging until dawn, and then headed to Melbourne, where the competition was held without a break. He is going to his first major tournament of the season without even two days off. Coach Daniel Yoo also expressed concern, saying, “Sunwoo will have a hard time.”
However, Kwon Soon-woo said, “I’m still young. If I recover well, I will play well even in difficult matches.”
Kwon’s opponent in the first round of the Australian Open is world number 123 Christopher Eubanks (USA). He has a good memory of last year winning 2-1 (7-6 1-6 6-4).