ATP Next Gen Finals: illness mars Jerry Shang’s preparation for pre-season, Hong Kong Open
The 19-year-old, son of former Chinese professional athletes, loses first match in Jeddah but is working on getting his ‘mindset straight’
Jerry Shang Juncheng is focusing on “staying alive” after a bout of illness before the ATP Next Gen Finals in Jeddah – the last stop before the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open – wiped out any chances of preparing for the new season.
The ATP Next Gen Finals is the final competition of the 2024 season, and depending on how far Shang progresses, the turnaround for the 2025 campaign is likely to be a matter of days.
The Chengdu Open champion enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2024 and climbed to a career-high world ranking of 47 in October after winning that maiden title.
The 19-year-old is looking to cap off the season with another trophy at the Next Gen tournament, which features eight of the game’s brightest players aged 20 and under competing in the Saudi Arabian city.
Shang did not elaborate on what illness had struck him down, but in the build-up to the 2024 season, he previously said flu affected his preparation. In 2023, he missed two months of tennis because of glandular fever.
“Each tournament is different [and] obviously each player is different. For example, Next Gen is indoors [and] It’s very fast [but] Hong Kong is outdoors, maybe a little bit slower,” Shang said after losing his first match in Jeddah to France’s Luca Van Assche 4-3, 2-4, 4-1, 4-3.
