Interviews with the winning teams of four categories, including Masters division winners Byeong-gun Ahn and Shin-woo Park
Increasing concentration and relieving stress through tennis… “Winning the national championship, I want to do it again.”
▲At the ‘2024 E-Today Open National Club Tennis Tournament’ held at the Olympic Park Tennis Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul on the 13th, Masters division winners Byeong-gun Ahn and Shin-woo Park are taking a commemorative photo with Deok-heon Kim, CEO of E-today, who presented the award. (Reporter Shin Tae-hyeon)
The winners of the four categories of the ‘1st E-today Open National Tennis Tournament (E-today Open)’, which took place over five days from the 9th to the 13th, cited communication with partners as their top priority as the secret to their success. Because it is a national competition in the doubles game, people who have boasted outstanding skills have come up all at once, so chemistry with partners and teamwork were important keywords that will determine victory or defeat.
The team of Byeong-gun Ahn (club name: Icheon Daewol Best of the Best) and Shin-woo Park (Joy Parkrio) won the Masters division, which was the pinnacle of the EToday Open. Ahn met with a reporter right after the award ceremony on the 13th and said, “As partnership is essential, I contacted Park, who participated in the competition together, as often as possible. As we worked out and ate together, we built a personal relationship, so now we can understand each other even if we do not talk to each other.” “It has reached a point where it can be done,” he said.
Park, who won his first championship after participating in the Masters competition, also said, “I have been practicing for a month, and since I am in Vice’s position, I think my hard preparation was effective,” and “I feel even better as it is my first win.” .
Both people cited concentration and stress relief as advantages of tennis. Player Park said, “I have a lot of stress at work, but when I play tennis (as a hobby), I forget everything and focus on exercising.” He added, “It also helps with diet.” Ahn, who has experience as a professional player in the past, said, “Tennis is still a difficult sport even if you play it for a long time,” and “that’s why it’s more attractive.”
The winning team of the Chrysanthemum Division, Baek Yoon-hee (Vitro Pyeongtaek Mother) and Shin Ji-hee (Fighting Fireball), also boasted of their strong teamwork throughout the interview. Player Baek said, “I first met my younger sister, Jihee, at a national team competition (Korea-Japan exchange match) and we became close friends, and I participated in this competition as well at her recommendation. Even during the game, thanks to Jihee, I was able to play as comfortably as possible,” and thanked his partner. The ball was turned. In response, Shin also waved his hand and said, “I like how my sister runs the game, so I just listened to what she said.”
Jeong-gyu Park (Samho Hwamok Best) and Gyu-seong Choi (TNT), the winners of the challenger section where the competition was the fiercest in the EToday Open, said, “We advanced to the semifinals in the competition we participated in together a month ago, but I was in a good mood and drank alcohol the day before the competition, but my condition was poor. “We were eliminated,” he said. “So this time, we had about 3 to 4 days to spare after advancing to the semifinals, and we thought we should seize the opportunity together, so we paid a lot of attention to managing our physical condition.”
The winning team of the Forsythia Division, Cho Hyun-seon (Sillim Magnolia Boramae) and Yoo Yeon-soo (T-Friends TMI), also said, “What we prepared the hardest for this tournament was mental management,” adding, “We are looking forward to how we will perform well in the finals, especially when there is a lot of pressure. “We ended up winning thanks to the many conversations we had together about having faith and not giving up until the end,” he said.
The goal of the winning team players is to continue improving their skills. Player Byeong-gun Ahn said, “With this winning point, we have risen to first place in the Korea Tennis Development Association (KATO) rankings,” and added, “Our goal is to maintain this ranking until the end of the year.” Shinwoo Park pledged, “I will work harder to win the Masters again.”
Choi Gyu-seong, who was able to challenge for the Masters division by winning the Challenger division, expressed his ambition by saying, “I don’t go to a lot of games, but I just play for fun around the neighborhood,” and added, “Wouldn’t I be happy if I won again?”
