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(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Dong-chan = Kwon Soon-woo (349th) and Hong Seong-chan (150th), the ‘one-two punch’ of Korean men’s tennis, will enlist in January 2025.
Kwon Soon-woo and Hong Seong-chan, who were born in 1997 and are of the same age, announced on their social media on the 13th that they will enlist in January 2025.
Hong Seong-chan and Kwon Soon-woo, who are currently ranked first and second in the men’s professional tennis (ATP) tour world rankings among Korean players, are scheduled to enlist in January 2025 and be discharged around July 2026.
Kwon Soon-woo, who reached the 3rd round (round of 32) of the 2021 French Open and rose to No. 52 in the world rankings, is the first Korean player to win the ATP Tour singles twice.
Kwon Soon-woo said through social media, “The tour life will stop for nearly two years, but I will come back with a more perfect appearance. I am confident that I will reach my peak from the age of 30. I have only achieved 20% of my goal, and I have achieved the goal that all fans want, Korea.” “I will definitely achieve what tennis is like,” he said of his enlistment.
Hong Seong-chan, who rose to a personal high of 139th in the world rankings in September of this year, also pledged, “I will not be able to participate in foreign competitions for about two years, but I will come back with a better image after I am discharged from the military. I will tell my unfinished story after I am discharged from the military.”
Kwon Soon-woo and Hong Seong-chan also played for the national team in last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games and this September’s Davis Cup match against Poland.
