Davis Cup: Coleman Wong joins men’s tour and admits ‘pros don’t give chances, you need to earn it’
- Two-time junior grand slam tournament winner begins new chapter on the men’s pro tour at the Davis Cup this week
- The 18-year-old Hongkonger ended his time on the junior circuit with a world No 12 ranking, after strong performances at Wimbledon and the US Open
Coleman Wong Chak-lam this week closed out his junior tennis career on a high point. The latest ITF Junior Ranking placed the Hong Kong star at world No 12, his best yet. But for the man himself, it didn’t mean all that much.
“I think it’s a career high or something,” Wong told the Post. “Yeah I’m happy, but to be honest I don’t really focus on junior rankings. Junior rankings are more like a stepping stone to the pro tour.”
And that is exactly what awaits the 18-year-old as he leaves behind a highly successful run in the juniors, which brought him two grand slam doubles titles, for a shot at the men’s ATP professional tour.
He does so with a great deal of momentum, having reached the singles quarter-finals at Wimbledon before storming into the semi-finals of the US Open, where he lost to Belgian youngster Gilles Arnaud Bailly.
“I’m very happy, but also a bit down on myself,” Wong said. “I’m grateful I got to the semi-finals in the last tournament of my junior career.
“I think because it was my last one, I just tried to give it everything, a full 120 per cent – not that I didn’t give it everything before, but just a little extra. So I was very happy.”
But it was a different story in the US Open doubles tournament, where Wong, the 2021 champion, crashed out in the opening round. He says a lack of preparation with partner Edas Butvilas, plus unnecessary pressure he put on himself, made for a very different experience.
“Actually, we are a pretty good mix and I thought we were going to do well. But doubles has a very fast rhythm to it and it was our first time playing together. We didn’t have a warm-up tournament, so we had to adapt straight away. It wasn’t easy.
“I had a bit of expectation on myself and I don’t think that is a good thing. But tennis is like this. You never know about tomorrow and you never know about today.”
The experience, however, has given him a healthy dose of perspective as he steps into the next phase of his career, where he admits there is a lot of work to be done.
“Obviously, it’s going to be very tough. With juniors, sometimes you can get one or two rounds where they don’t really want to play. You will never see that in pro tournaments. The pros don’t give you chances, you need to earn it for yourself.”
His first big leap into the pro circuit starts in Taiwan this weekend, when he will represent Hong Kong in the singles and doubles in the opening round of the Davis Cup World Group II.
He then moves on to Vietnam for the M25 Tay Ninh Futures hard-court tournament, before heading to a training camp in Spain. It’s a gruelling schedule, but one he said was required.
“I’ve been working hard, but I’m going to push even harder because I’m in the next chapter of my career, playing the big boys who play tennis for a living,” he said. “They care about every match.
“I’m feeling better and stronger every day, still working hard, and I think every tennis player has to have this mentality to be successful.
“The Asia tournaments are kind of opening up now [after Covid-19]. I’ll be in Vietnam and then maybe some tournaments in Indonesia, Korea and Japan. So after Vietnam I’m going to go back to Spain and train and then come back.
“My plan is very clear and my target is to get into the top 350 by the end of the year.”
