Chung Hyeon to face off world's strongest player at Australian Open

Chung Hyeon to face off world's strongest player at Australian Open. January. 16, 2016 09:47. kjs0123@donga.com.

Chung Hyeon (20), the rising star in Korean tennis, is set to have a showdown with the world’s strongest incumbent player at the Australian Open.

Chung is scheduled to hold his first round match against Novak Djokovic (Serbia), who is ranked first in world rankings, through a match scheduling draw whose results were announced on Friday ahead of the Australian Open, this season’s first major championship that kicks off in Melbourne on Monday.

It is the first time that a Korean player faces off the world’s strongest player of the time at a major championship. In the round of 16 best players at the U.S. Open in 2000, Lee Hyung-taek had a showdown with fourth seed Pete Sampras, "the Emperor" of the time. The highest ranking player in global rankings among the players Chung has faced off in a match was Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) who he encountered at the last year’s U.S. Open. Coincidentally, Djokovic started warming up to check his conditions by engaging in training jointly with Wawrinka on Thursday.

Chung and Djokovic can be compared to "David and Goliath." The Australian Open is the third major championship that Chung is participating in his career, while Djokovic has already garnered the Australian Open championship five times in total including last year’s event. Djokovic’s overall prize money amounts to nearly 100 million U.S. dollars, which is more than 261 times that of Chung (360,000 dollars). The dividend rate that British gamblers predict is 1.7 times for Djokovic, and 800 times for Chung. Sports betting agencies predict that the chance for Djokovic to win the match is more than 95 percent. If this is the level of probability, one can only expect to receive the amount of his own bet, if he or she chooses to bet in Djokovic.

Chung`s showdown with Djokovic will give the 20-year-old Korean an invaluable opportunity to learn, something that he can never buy even for millions of dollars. Through a play by Djokovic, who remains the overwhelmingly dominant "emperor" by winning three major championships last year, Chung can be enlightened in the world of tennis. The exact schedule for the match will be determined in the coming days, but Rod Laver Arena, the 14,820-seat center court, is most likely to be the venue for the showdown, and fans can experience the mood of a giant court that they would hardly experience in ordinary times. “When I have a showdown with high-ranking players, I clearly have a different feeling," Chung said. "I feel nervous, but I will focus on the match with the mindset to learn.”

“It is rather fortunate," Lee Hyung-taek said. "Since Chung Hyeon has already overcome the mental burden of the need to win, he can focus on the match with peace of mind. He might end up bringing about unexpected outcome.” The championship’s website and major foreign media outlets said that Djokovic is facing a tricky competitor, adding that tennis fans should pay attention to the rising star from Korea.