Korean Soon-Woo Kwon steps away from tennis due to military service: "I'll be back"

South Korea is very strict about military service and professional tennis player Soonwoo Kwon is no stranger to it. In September 2023 he fell in the Asian Games, which was going to mean that he was not going to be able to get out of compulsory military service in a country where, if you are an athlete, you only get out of it by getting an Olympic medal or a great result in other types of competitions. Thus, the tennis player will have to perform 18 months of military service. Kwon was ranked 52nd in the world and won two ATP 250 tournaments in his prime.

He is currently ranked 349th in the rankings and will begin his stay in the army on January 13. However, in social networks he has assured that he plans to return to professional tennis in 2027.

"I'm going to enlist in the army on January 13, 2025. My touring life will stop for almost two years, but I will be back in fuller shape than you can imagine," he commented on his personal Instagram account. "I know a lot of people say it's too late to come back to play after 30 years...... I think 30 is the prime of my life and I'm confident. I have only achieved 20% of the goals I set for myself, and the remaining 80% will be the Korean tennis you dream of. I will make Korean tennis what all the fans want it to be, and I will do it until I achieve it."

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