Seongchan Hong in a race against time to realise his dreams

Seongchan Hong is a man in a hurry. The fleet-footed 26-year-old tennis player from South Korea is racing against time to realise his dreams before leaving for compulsory military service at the end of the year as mandated by his country’s laws.

One of those is winning his second ATP Challenger trophy, a feat he agonisingly fell short of on Sunday in the Bengaluru Open final, and also in Thailand last month. Another is to play at Roland-Garros, the site of his first-ever Major appearance, albeit in the qualifying rounds.

“I have to go to the army this year and I can’t play for one-and-a-half years,” Hong told reporters here. “This year will be my last year of touring. I can only play tournaments within South Korea. That’s why I want to focus hard and enjoy myself on the court as much as I can.”

Like his compatriot and famed Tottenham Hotspur forward Heungmin Son, Hong would have been exempted from the army’s calling if he had won a gold medal at the Asian Games. But in Hangzhou last year, in a curious twist, it was India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni who ended that pursuit by defeating Hong and his partner Soonwoo Kwon in the doubles semifinals.

“The losing feeling in the Asian Games was very difficult to handle because now I have to go to the army,” said Hong. “I won a bronze, so there was some enjoyment…but yeah.

“Now, I cannot compete with other players on the Tour. Rankings will also take a dip. And then, when I come back, I will be 29-30. That means it will be tough for me physically and mentally.”

But Hong isn’t giving up. He plans to stay in touch with the sport even when in the army and wants to be back on the Tour.

“The army has a tennis team and I will be playing there. I have to follow the training in the military service and in my free time I can play.

“I want to come back, if I’m physically okay and if my family is okay to let me travel again. I just love the competition.”