Former Australian Open semifinalist wins first trophy in six years following lengthy battle with injury

The 2025 Australian Open is only a few days away, with several tennis fans revisiting emotional and memorable moments from the tournaments history.

South Korean tennis star Hyeon Chung created a historic moment at the Happy Slam several years ago, when he defeated Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the fourth round at the 2018 Australian Open. Prior to his win over the Grand Slam champion, Chung had also defeated German Alexander Zverev in a five-set third round encounter.

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Injuries derailed the South Korean's career

Although Chung scored the biggest win of his life with the victory over Djokovic, he would eventually fall to Swiss legend Roger Federer in the semifinals. Nonetheless, Chung would break into the top 20, and was touted as one of the brightest prospects in tennis at the time.

Subsequently, the 28-year old would battle with several injuries down the road, seeing his activity diminish on the ATP Tour. Fans began to speculate on whether he had actually retired for good in 2021 and 2022. However, Chung would make his return to the ATP Challengers circuit in 2023, and is slowly regaining his fitness and form.

Playing in the M25 Bali, Indonesia, ITF event at the start of the 2025 season, Chung dropped just one set all tournament as he picked up his first title since 2019. The result has seen the former World No.17 return to the world’s top 1000, as he currently sits at 726th in the live ATP rankings. Although he is not scheduled to compete in Melbourne next week, the South Korean seems to be on the right path as he climbs the ATP ladder.

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